


Death, Personified

by Shlevznark (Sampagita)



Series: L'Adoration de la Terre [1]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: A Lot of Death, But they aren't central to the plot I swear, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Minor Character Death, Pairings will be updated as they're revealed, So much dying that I'm not sure what to do with it, Whole bunch of OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 106,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7762834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sampagita/pseuds/Shlevznark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The consequences of Elsa's actions ran deeper than anyone had originally thought: the land itself was demanding penance, and its caretakers are struggling to appease it. Unfortunately for a certain prince, those caretakers thought it more "amusing" to give him that responsiblity. Yet, what he will do with said responsibility, no one really knows. Part one of a trilogy. Cross-post from ff.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Birth of the Myth

**Author's Note:**

> This here is an x-post from ff.net. However, it won't be as quickly updated as the other version, since I'm going to post chapters that I feel are relatively free from grammar errors and spelling errors. This posting is for those that want to have the more-convenient offline-reading this site offers. Also, this one will lack all the author notes I put in the other version (just for my own convenience, sorry), so warnings and hints about future plot will be absent in this version.
> 
> Also, this is my first-ever posting here on this site, so I'm a mess when it comes to how to categorize and tag things.
> 
> Original post found [ here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12045964/1/Death-Personified).

Under the setting sun, Hans, the insidious thirteenth prince of the Southern Isles, was debased to harvesting the palace's wheat fields. Originally, he was assigned to mucking the horses' stalls for an indeterminate amount of time as punishment. That is until the "snow incident," as his brothers liked to call it.

Not too long ago, as he was shoveling the horses' excrement into a wagon, a giant snowball had literally come out of the sky and stunned him into the pile of manure. When he had to explain his sudden stop in work activity to the stable master, there wasn't enough time to come up with a reasonable explanation except for what really happened. Of course, in the heat, the snow had melted rather quickly, hiding all evidence of the phenomenon that reminded him so much of the "Snow Queen" of Arendelle.

When the story reached his brothers, they decided that the fumes were driving their littlest brother crazy and assigned him to the harvest, because they were "oh-so-merciful" and wouldn't allow a man to continue to be driven insane.

Hans seethed in anger as he reflected on these events. He was not insane, and Fate was a cruel mistress to allow such an impossible thing to happen. He knew it was Queen Elsa. Everything about that woman _screamed_ impossible. Here he was, just trying to carry out his punishments in his homeland, and she somehow continued to ruin his plans even across the sea. It didn't help her case in the fact that, of all the things to wreck it all, it was _snow_.

He never really liked the humiliating work of being a stable boy coming from his former responsibilities as a prince, but he did miss the occasional interaction he had with his own horse, Sitron. He would have at least some semblance of normalcy… That is, if it wasn't for _her_.

Hans raked the scythe rhythmically in front of him, using it as a distraction to help school his features into one of displeasure instead of burning hate. Too many people were watching over him from the fence surrounding the field, and even a little slip hinting that he was losing it wouldn't do in his brothers' eyes. Even if such assumptions were false.

He didn't dare have another change in assignment. While being the the sole stable boy was bad, his horse helped ease things a bit. Being the sole wheat harvester? If the manure fumes didn't drive him crazy, just eyeing the incredibly large plot of land for one person to rake through with a rusty scythe was just about the last straw, pun unintended. He didn't want to think about what would happen with another reassignment. While his brothers dreaded to follow through with executing him for his crimes in Arendelle, in some ways their alternative punishments were worse.

A punishment worse than death though? He wouldn't _say_ as much, but he felt that letting him continue to wallow in his anger while having no power to act on them was a living hell. He deduced that if he were a different person, he wouldn't mind, but his whole life was filled with spite and being powerless. Having twelve older brothers that couldn't care less about your well-being did that to you. Even if their recent actions tried to prove otherwise.

At least he knew they had consciences, since they didn't want the blood of family on their hands. Sadly, it seemed he himself did not, since he felt no remorse over trying to kill two innocent people. The sun behind Hans still crept slowly into the horizon, slow enough to show that his workday wasn't finished. There was still enough light to see the work in front of him, and would still be the case until twilight.

Hans wiped the sweat off his brow and pulled out a whetstone from his pocket. He ran the stone back and forth against the blade of the scythe, careful not to touch the sharp edge with his hand. He still had the nasty wound the first time he tried to sharpen the thing. It was a wonder it hadn't gotten infected with how much rust and dirt was on the scythe.

"Oh, that's _so_ inconvenient," a feminine voice lilted behind Hans. He flinched upon the sudden intrusion of solace, but played it off as if he pulled a muscle for the overseers. He casually turned to see the origin of the voice, hoping it would seem like he was looking at the sunset.

"Back to work!" One of the overseers barked from his post at the fence.

Hans grumbled to himself when he didn't see who spoke to him and returned to sharpening the blade.

"Here, this should help ease the work," the voice sang again. The blade of the scythe shimmered for a few moments and returned to normal. Well, almost normal. The blade was no longer rusted and caked with grime, and its surface gleamed enough that Hans could see his reflection, as well as a tiny floating creature above his shoulder. The creature giggled and flew in front of Hans' face, gesturing to the whetstone. "Now, there's no need for that thing anymore."

Hans raised his brows, wondering if he had, in fact, gone completely mad.

"Oh, don't give me that look. It's not like you humans aren't aware of the pixies' existence," the creature said.

"Get back to work, I said!" The overseer yelled. Hans, dumbfounded, went back to cutting down the wheat. The ease of the blade gliding through the stalks didn't dissuade the dreamlike feeling he was experiencing.

"What, cat got your tongue? Don't want to associate yourself with anything magical after your brief stint with the Queen of Arendelle?" the pixie prodded.

"You aren't real. I might have lost my sanity, but they don't know that," Hans whispered to the pixie, against his good judgment. Was it even considered "good judgment" anymore?

"Believe what you want, it doesn't change the fact that I'm not quite finished with you yet."

"I'm quite done with you, so let me just continue with the harvest. Though I must thank you for making this much easier."

"Ah, but that's why I'm here. There's an even _better_ harvest that I need you for."

Upon hearing her statement, Hans resisted the urge to stop his work and getting reprimanded a third time. Resigned to whatever current situation he was experiencing, he sighed and acquiesced to the niggling of curiosity at the back of his mind.

"What do you want?" Hans whispered.

"Uh uh, it's not about what _I_ want. After all, I can get whatever I want with the wave of my hand. No, it's about what _you_ want."

Remembering the short tales that was read to him when he was little about pixies, the one lesson he knew to be learned about them was that they wanted nothing but mischief. Curses hidden behind a façade of a blessing, changing appearances to mess with a person's beliefs about reality; anything to sate their thirst for causing chaos. That is to say, if this "pixie" wasn't a part of his imagination. Though whether or not she was real, she was already messing with his mind.

"I'll take your silence as an invitation to continue," the pixie said while he was still mulling over the reality of what was going on. "All your life, you were powerless. You had no hope of ever having any control in your life. It infuriated you when you realized that, though you are a prince, in everyone's eyes you were no better than a commoner." The pixie giggled, a dark tone reverberating with the sound. "But what if _I_ gave you power? You would be unstoppable, and everyone would have to bow to your every wish."

"Ah, but what if I don't want power?" Hans asked, a mask of indifference upon his face. He wouldn't lie that what she said sounded promising, but maybe he would be able to get something even better out of her if he played his cards right. After all, he was known to be a _very_ good actor and manipulator, the very reason for his punishment was the first scenario that came to mind. If the pixie was, in fact, real and couldn't read his mind, he might be able to pull it off.

"Oh, Prince Hans, you flatter me thinking that you can out-con a pixie. But very well, I'll humor you. Regardless, I'm giving you power. Though what you do with it is what you decide. Perhaps... enact a bit of revenge?" Her tiny face grinned smugly when Hans' grip on the scythe slipped and caused his next swing to arc short of it's usual length.

"Revenge, you say?" Hans asked, continuing to pretend disinterest. "What makes you think I have any need for revenge?"

"I've been watching you for quite a while, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Bitter and angry for having been cast aside as a spare child growing up, your existence denied by a few of your siblings. And when you finally had an opportunity to make something of yourself, shamed and considered an outcast by an ally country and your own. Yes, I think you're a bit due for some revenge. Where you start though, I won't judge. I just want to be a casual observer. Though I will admit that there is a wager my fellow pixies have on you on what your decisions will end up being. It's been a while since we've tried anything of this magnitude being of our influence."

The pixie flitted to his hand that gripped the top handle of the scythe, her face pondering as she watched him work. Her face molded into an expression that belied that she had an idea that was forming before returning to her hover in front of the prince's eyes.

"The desire for revenge or power, or not, it will certainly be interesting. I'm sure that curiosity is a part of you as it is with all men, so why not indulge in it for a while? It's not like you have any way to escape this drudgery within your own power. So why not a pixie's?" She brushed her dark locks away from her face and crossed her arms. "If whatever I said intrigues you, meet me here at midnight. I'm sure that you can tell where the moon is from your cell tonight. Oh, and if you do come, remember to bring that thing." She wiggled her fingers, pointing to the harvesting tool in Hans' hands.

With a wave, the pixie flew off into the distance, the only evidence of her appearance being the renewed blade of the scythe that whacked cleanly through the wheat.

###

Hans laid awake in his cell, staring at the rays of moonlight that filtered through the bars from outside. There hadn't been another appearance from the pixie, which he wasn't going to completely rule out for being imagined just yet. There were more guards than usual watching him through the open space of the door to his cell, the overseers noticing him talking to no one in particular earlier. He kicked himself mentally for forgetting that detail.

He almost laughed at the concern on his brothers' faces when confronted about this detail as soon as his work was over for the day. There was no doubt that he would be reassigned _again_ , regardless of how much effort he put out to avoid it. Still, it would be another few days before they decided to toss their youngest sibling to another place for demeaning hard labor. Or, if luck would have it, toss him into an insane asylum.

Though, he wouldn't _not_ welcome such a decision at this point. It was a wonder his family hadn't made any moves to do so yet, since all his actions proved he needed such a facility. But whatever reputation that he hadn't yet destroyed with his actions in Arendelle, his family didn't want to soil it further by admitting to the fact that the royals of the Southern Isles has blood-related insane family members. As a last resort, of course, but they hadn't exhausted their resources yet, it seemed.

It was close to midnight, if he gauged the position of the moon correctly, and the proposal from the pixie still ran through his mind. What if she was _real_? What if whatever she said she would do, would happen? And she was right, there was no way that he could do anything in the situation he was in at this moment. He might not even get another chance at this.

Mind made up, he decided to at least entertain the possibility for a while longer.

Knocking on his door, he caught the attention of one of the guards assigned to watching him.

"Is there any possibility that I can go outside? I can't sleep right now," he asked him, trying to work his deceptive charm into his words.

"No," the guard responded.

"But I was thinking about all the wheat I'm going to end up picking up in the hot sun. Maybe I can get a bit of a head start?"

The man whispered among his fellow guards, as if they were debating Hans' words.

"I will bring this up to the king. He will decide," the guard said after a few moments of deliberation and walked towards the entrance of the prison cells. Hans wrinkled his forehead in frustration. He didn't have enough time. It seemed that he was going to have to act desperate.

"Please! I beg of you! I'm going insane just sitting here with nothing to do!" He pulled at his hair for emphasis, flashing his eyes side to side to help drive the act home. He inwardly cringed at how easy it was to play the part of being driven crazy. It made him wonder if it even was an act for the briefest of moments.

The guards outside his cell flinched. They probably knew about his family's fears of Hans losing his sanity. The guard closest to his cell brought out a ring of keys and unlocked the door before anyone else knew what was happening.

"Alright, go ahead. But we'll be accompanying you. You there," the key ring guard pointed to the guard heading towards prison entrance. "Tell the king of his whereabouts. Meet us in the field when you are finished. The rest of you, follow him with me." He swung the door open wide for Hans to exit. Hans had to suppress the urge to grin at how well he was able to manipulate them, though he didn't hide his exhale of relief.

"Thank you so much. I have nothing to repay you with but my eternal gratitude," Hans said, grinning widely. He hoped that they didn't realize that his smile wasn't genuine, but then again, he was able to fool a lot of people in the past.

###

At the field, he made sure to make a detour to the tool shed, remembering the pixie's request that he bring it. The blade still shone like a flawless mirror, its edge still wickedly sharp. The wound in his hand ached as he remembered how sharp it could be before the pixie's interference. Now, though, he wouldn't be surprised if he could fell trees with a single swing. The guards rested their hands uneasily on the hilts of their swords when he walked out with the tool in his hands.

"Relax, I just need this to harvest," he said. Hans was displeased to see that they didn't move their hands away from their weapons. Oh well, he could still make do. Just no sudden movements. To make it seem that he was going to pick up the wheat, he made sure to drag a cart behind him and picked up a bag of twine along the way.

With the guards still within arms distance of him as he reached the end of the field where he ended his scything earlier, he set the scythe on the wagon and knelt down to the ground and grabbed the wheat. When he felt that he had a good bundle, he went to grab at some twine and realized that the guards around him had collapsed. The pixie fluttered in front of him, her arms crossed.

"Tsk, tsk. I was hoping there wouldn't be any interference when I asked you to come at this time," the pixie said, all previous playfulness in her voice from earlier a distant memory. "No worries, they'll make good practice before we're done here. At least you follow directions." She eyed the scythe resting on the wagon. "Yes, a good harvester knows to follow directions." Her grin was dark, a contrast to the plethora of colors encompassed in her miniature dress. There was no denying that the pixie was real at this point, since the proof was laid around him in heaps of knocked-out guards.

"And you mentioned a 'better' harvest. Care to explain?" Hans asked.

"There's a bit of a problem the other pixies and I have had to deal with in the past few months. The land is restless around these parts ever since the sudden explosion of winter in Arendelle. Of course, you non-magical humans could care less about it, since it doesn't affect you, but the flow of magic in my domain has gone haywire. Being its caretakers, we've had to appease the land in ways that are... unsavory, to say the least. Unfortunately, the land sees that it is the humans that wronged it, so the humans must be the ones to calm it down.

"You see, we've considered Queen Elsa to be the one to fix this mess. But where's the fun in that? She's too nice and self-sacrificing to do anything amusing with what she's been gifted with. _You_ on the other hand, are just the man we're looking for. I mean, why not? It would be more fun to see what a man of your reputation would do with power. Two birds with one stone, if I remember the saying correctly."

"That doesn't quite answer my question," Hans pointed out.

"The land experienced a sudden death with the coming of winter in the middle of summer," the pixie continued, making no indication that she heard the prince. "Summer should have been a time of liveliness, and the land did not take well to the abruptness of its death without the invitational transition through autumn. So, it demanded of us pixies the death of those who wronged it. The land not favoring of persons, saw that, since it was a human that wronged its cycle, a human must die as penance. And thus we've occasionally picked one off whenever the land called upon a sacrifice. But it got so _dreadfully_ boring, so here we are, offering you to do what we loathe to do."

"You want me to... 'pick off' men?" Hans asked, the weight of his words a surprising heaviness upon his shoulders.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't want to do it. It doesn't have to be _men_. Women would get the job done as well, and I know you have no second thoughts about doing such a thing. Think about it, you'd finally be able to get revenge on people, and there would be little interference from the land and the pixies. No force of nature would try to stop you, wouldn't that be wonderful? Hmm, though human laws and punishments might get in the way. I guess we'll just have to finagle a bit before you get started.

"Well, I guess in the possibility that you develop a conscience at some point, it wouldn't do to have you running around without fulfilling your purpose. Not to mention that I lose my bet. Oh well, looks like I'll just add a bit of a fail-safe, regardless of you forming a conscience."

She waved both hands around her, sparkles trailing around her movements, and placed her hands at the center of Hans' chest where his heart would be. He felt a surge of pain radiating from where she touched him to the rest of his body, causing him to gasp and collapse in agony.

"Oh, don't be a big baby. It'll wear off in a bit," she sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "Wow, if mortals are really _that_ delicate, I wonder why the land sees you people as a threat. No matter. Now, you done with your sniveling?"

Grunting, Hans stood up, knees shaking as he straightened. The pang in his chest still burned, but the rest of his body seemed to have, more or less, returned to normal.

"I never said that I agreed to this," Hans said, gritting his teeth.

"Too bad, you're too much fun for us to just pass this responsibility to someone else. Now, continue to follow my directions, and all of this will be as painless as possible for you. And I mean that quite literally. That sting you feel? That's what the land and the pixies have felt since the sudden winter. And it will only get worse if you don't do what we ask of you, you understand? However, as an immortal being of magic, it doesn't really affect me, nor does it bother me. It's more an indication of the state of the land. For you, a lowly mortal, the land can have an... impressive influence on you."

"And what do you mean by that?" Hans, the reality of the situation finally sinking in, asked fearfully.

"Oh, dearie, I can't see the future. That'll be the _fun_ of it all, would it not?"

"Wh-"

"Wow, you ask a lot of questions. I've heard about human curiosity, but goodness, isn't this laying it on a bit too thick? You don't have to have the answers to everything, you know."

"It would help to be a little more prepared if I'm going into something I have no experience with. Since you've stalked by life so much, I think you know what I mean by that."

 _"Au contraire, mon prince,"_ the pixie said, smirking. "I've seen what you've done when new information arises, which is why we're so excited to jettison you off into the world with your new responsibility. Though I do admit that we want to be in your good graces so that you can _somewhat_ be more willing to do what we ask, so you can ask three questions."

"Alright, then. Firstly, how do you expect me to... er... _sacrifice_ people while I can't even escape from this place. I'm sure that you can't just knock everyone out."

"Kill them," the pixie said. She waved her hand at the scythe in the wagon. "Though, preferably with this thing in particular. I mean, I can enchant another weapon of your choosing, but wouldn't it be more fitting to _harvest_ the sacrifices for the land?" She brought a hand up to her chin, pondering for a few moments. "On second thought, this is more fun. Yeah, use this thing." She waved her hands, causing the scythe to float in midair and presented it to Hans. He brought a hand out and hesitantly took the tool-turned-weapon in his hands. The ache in is chest eased a bit upon holding it, he noted.

"Good, it seems the land likes the idea too. Though, I'm going to have to add another enchantment. While the land asks for human sacrifice, human bloodshed makes it even more restless. While it would make things more interesting, I'll at least spare your mortal sanity that much."

"I can't just.. I can't kill everyone that gets in my way. If people catch on, they'll try to stop me."

"I said the forces of nature won't stop you, there's no need to worry."

"If I understand correctly from everything you've told me, I'm still bound to everything else a mortal man is subject to. Which means other mortals."

"Ooh, you're perceptive. I was hoping you wouldn't notice. Fine, since it seems that your family is too keen on how to manage you, we'll send you off to another kingdom. Corona, perhaps? They know a little bit about what you've done, but not enough to be overly paranoid, and they're still allied with the Southern Isles, so it wouldn't seem too far-fetched to influence your brothers to send you there."

"Which still doesn't address the issue I'm trying to bring up."

"If your concern is that they'll be privy to what you're trying to do and try to stop you, then just don't let anyone know, simple as that. Work _with_ me, I shouldn't be the one doing _all_ the work, mind you. You're ruining all the amusing bits of this whole plan."

"Alright, fine. Keep it a secret."

"I didn't say you _have_ to."

"Then what would you rather have me do?" Hans threw his hands up in the air, the scythe still in the grip of one of them. Frustrated and realizing how dumb the action looked, he brought his hands back down and crossed his arms over the scythe, mindful to have its blade point away from his face.

"I'm more partial to the possibility of you just giving in and let the land have its way with you, but since you're strong-willed enough to try to resist, just do with it what you want. Really, we pixies just want to see how all of this unfolds."

"Alright, so I'm being shipped to Corona and I'm going to keep this a secret. _Mostly_ , if you want to hear that. Secondly, _how_ do I... _appease_ the land? Do I just cut them down, easy as that? Or is there some kind of fairy ritual that I'm assuming I'm going to have to learn when you referred to these guards as 'practice'?"

"To start off, _don't_ refer to me and my kind as 'fairies.' We don't hold the same standing as those frilly, good-for-nothing, nature-tenders. We are the guardians and gateway to the realm of magic. While they busy away with every facet of nature, _we_ hold ourselves to a higher regard and command the mere forces they dote on."

"Sorry, I meant no offense," Hans said, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn't help but find it hilarious that something so tiny would have a tantrum like this, but he was mindful that she pretty much had him at her mercy, so he stifled the bubbling amusement and bit his tongue. "But please, enlighten me on how you'd like all this to be done."

Giving him a squinted stare, unamused, she continued, "You need to coax out the soul from the body and sever the ties that keep them together. The severing, I'm sure you can figure out. The coaxing, though; that's something better shown than verbally explained. Just watch, you can do the same."

She fluttered away from her position in front of Hans' gaze and hovered above the still, prone body of the guard who released Hans from his cell. She waved her hands around the man, purple pixie dust falling on him, and a soft white glow emanated around his form. Her hands glowed the same soft light, and the scythe's blade in Hans' possession mimicked the same light.

"Huh, I was wondering if I did the enchantment right. Like I said before, it's been a long while since we pixies ever did something like this. Now, a bag of this and you'll be set for reaping the harvest," the pixie said. With a flick of her wrist, she emptied out the bag of twine and filled it to the brim with sparkling dust. She gestured to the prone man. "A shame that he was a good man in the prime of his life. See how white he glows? Oh well, again, as I've mentioned before: quite an unsavory practice, but it must be done. Care to do the honors?"

"Do I just...?"

"Is that your third question?"

"No, no, I'm just a bit confused about what I'm supposed to do."

"I've seen you use that thing on the wheat. How else are you supposed to swing it?"

Hans blanched, realizing what he was about to do. The guard was innocent, he wasn't going to just kill him for no reason. Okay, yes, he had a reason – an unbelievable one at that – but this man did nothing against him. Well, then again, the guard was following his brothers' orders, which are inherently against him. But still, the man had nothing personal against him. Did he? And why the sudden change of heart? He felt no remorse from his actions against Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. Right?

No, he didn't, the voice calling for revenge at the back of his mind still burned at him. As well as the undeniable tug in his chest coaxed him to swing the blade and get it over with.

Noticing his hesitation, the pixie grunted in impatience.

"Are you seriously developing a conscience? _Now?_ Of all the times to do so, it's _now?_ "

"What if I am?"

"Is that your third question?"

"I guess it is."

"Fine, if this _bothers_ you so much, you can hold off for however long you can hold your sanity. You can choose whomever you wish, but you must remember that it was the prime of summer where winter fell, so it must be the prime of a person's life where the land can truly be sated. For _you_ however, to be sated, I guess just picking off a few sickly and elderly people would be enough for a time. Remember though, you're only mortal, and the power that persuades you is much greater than your own will."

"And if I refuse in the end?"

"No force of nature will stop you, and no force of nature will allow you to stop," she responded ominously. "Though the implication of those words applying to a mortal will be _very_ amusing to watch. I must admit this whole plan of you collecting souls isn't entirely my idea. I know about your human tales about the Grim Reaper." She looked up at the sky, and gazed at her surroundings in the field. The once-glowing man had settled back into the shadows of the opaque darkness, his soul no longer stirring.

"My, it's getting late. I've extended my leave for way too long, and we all said that we won't have anymore influence on this matter, however tempting, than need be. I know you're a bit anxious about more appearances of anyone magical, as well as our influence. I promise you, as soon as you're guaranteed transit to Corona, we will no longer muddy our hands in your fate. Fate, as it is, is pretty upset that we've chosen to mess with _you_ for some reason. I can kinda see why, with the mere spirit and gumption you've displayed in the past. The chaos will be absolutely delectable enough that we wouldn't want to do anything of this magnitude for quite a long time. As we all well know, Fate can be pretty harsh."

"...Has the Grim Reaper ever existed?" Hans asked, not sure where the curiosity came from, nor hoping for an answer.

The pixie chuckled, flying off into the night, "He does now."

Hans stood dumbfounded, grabbing at the bag of dust and gazing into it. His stare drifted to the scythe, its weight now heavy with meaning. He heard the muffled groans of the guards around him stirring from their magical sleep. Thinking quickly, he himself dropped to the ground and shut his eyes after tossing the bag and scythe onto the wagon, pretending that whatever happened to the guards happened to him as well.

In the distance, he heard the clambering of footsteps. Hans noted there was a good number of people approaching the field. Hans continued to pretend that he was still unconscious until one of the guards shook him.

"Get up," he said, tugging at his arm. "The king and princes approach."

Before Hans could properly process what the guard said, he was hoisted to his feet and prodded to kneel before his siblings. The guards around him did the same.

"What is the meaning of this?" the king, Hans' eldest brother, asked. "Who allowed such an excursion to take place?"

"I did, Your Majesty," the guard with the key ring responded. "I feared that Prince Hans was going to be a danger to himself if he didn't get some fresh air."

"And the seven of you laying around the field was a part of that plan?"

"N-no sir. We... _aren't_ quite sure what happened. We didn't have enough time to figure it out before you came along, Your Majesty."

"Care to explain yourself, Hans?" His brother directed his attention right at him. Hans tried to form half-truths in his mind, hoping to add them to his act.

"What the guard said was true. I was getting too antsy in my cell, I'm afraid to admit that I was starting to... lose it," he said the last statement with as much embarrassment and shame that he could fake, which appeared to be enough in his brother's eyes. The king's features softened at Hans' "confession" and bent down to his level, meeting his gaze. The rest of his brothers scrambled to kneel, since it was considered to be disrespectful to be physically higher than the king.

Hans had to admit that he was a bit shocked when his brother enveloped him in a hug, and it was undeniably showing in his face when his brother released him, since the king coughed once to break the awkwardness.

"I can't bear to see you deteriorate like this. No matter what we try to do, it seems that we don't know how to handle this situation properly. It breaks my heart to know that we're driving you insane."

One of the princes, namely the ringmaster who caused two other siblings to pretend he was invisible years ago, scooted closer to where Hans knelt and embraced him as well.

"I'm so sorry to have led you down this path for so long. We all are. But we're trying our best to make it right. You've had your whole life ahead of you, and we took that all away. We hoped that sending you to Arendelle would help make amends, but it seemed that we were too late."

The same burning in his chest from when the pixie hexed him with her magic was renewed, pulling at him. _Kill him,_ it beckoned from within. He shook his head, starting to tear up from the pain. His brothers misinterpreted it as anguish and flocked around him to join in the group hug, all formality forgotten. Hans grew more frantic as the urge burned within him much stronger as he resisted. _Kill them all,_ it called again.

 _No, I won't. I can't,_ he argued with himself.

"No!" he screamed out loud, pushing with all his strength against his brothers, trying to get them away from him. Realizing that they weren't helping with his hysterics, they backed away, slowly. The guards readied their hands upon their weapons, not liking the sudden atmosphere surrounding the thirteenth heir. He dropped his face to the ground, tear-streaked, and clawed at his chest.

"No, please stop it," he pleaded softly. "I-I can't." He couldn't, because deep down, no matter how much he had against his brothers, he still loved them. And as much as he didn't want to say it, his brothers felt the same. The burning faded to a more tolerable level, but its presence was still prominent. He hugged his torso, glad for the reprieve.

"Please escort him to my quarters," the king ordered the guards. Hans heard one of them begin to protest, but his brother cut him off. "You may bring however many guards to watch over him as I sleep tonight. I just don't think it would be beneficial for him to be alone for now. Maybe having a brother around, that he doesn't quite despise as much as the others, would help." The guard answered affirmatively and placed a hand on Hans' shoulder to persuade him to rise.

Shaky from the near-miss that would likely haunt him forever if he followed through, Hans rose to his feet, still hugging himself in fear that we would lose control over his actions. As he drew further away from his place beside the wooden cart, he felt another tug, though this time around his gut, reminding him of the objects inside them.

"Can I make a request?" Hans dared to ask his brother, trying to hide the unease he felt and ignore the strangeness of what he was about to say. His brother turned to him and nodded silently. "Is it okay if I bring my tools with me?" He looked longingly at the cart. His brother's eyebrow raised in askance, hoping for an explanation. When Hans didn't give one, he waved an arm to one of the guards to gather the items.

"Your Majesty, uh..." the guard said, lifting the scythe in confusion.

"It's alright, it's not like a security blanket, you can hold onto it if you're so inclined. Besides, if I wanted to harm the king, I would've done so when he hugged me earlier," Hans said, a small smirk gracing his lips. "I just don't... feel right without knowing where they are." Hans knew that saying such wouldn't help prove that he wasn't insane, but with everything that happened with the pixie and the "snow incident," it seemed that claiming it was so was inevitable. When the guard peeked inside the bag, Hans' heart felt like it stopped. He almost returned to full-blown hysterics when the guard reached in.

"Don't!" Hans warned, reaching out a hand. The guard paused, surprised. Hans breathed out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed, though he was sure that if everyone looked closely, he was sweating bullets out of nervousness. "That's glitter. I'm sure you don't want to get it all over your uniform. Very unprofessional." Hans wanted to smack himself in the forehead for coming up with that excuse, but silently rejoiced when the guard shrugged and accepted the explanation, sealing the bag with some twine. The tension in the air was palpable around him and his brothers, likely due to how far gone Hans appeared to be.

However, Hans knew very well that when plans went terribly awry, the only thing he could do was to adapt. So what if his brothers couldn't deny that he was off his rocker? The pixie promised that their plans surrounding Corona would be complete. Being very powerful beings, he was sure that part of the plan wouldn't falter, though he was beginning to dread what that entailed. Still, he couldn't wait for the day where he wouldn't see hide nor wing of another pixie again for the rest of his existence.


	2. A Test of Ability

"What happened out there in the field, Hans?" the king asked from his seated position on his mattress. Hans noted the worry lines and specks of grey hair on his brother, admiring the reality that his brother was actually getting _old_. His brother rubbed his face and ran a hand in his hair as if he was debating something in his head.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Hans replied, laying on the cushioned mat the servants brought for him in his brother's bedroom. From where he laid himself, he could see the painted portrait of his late parents hanging above the fireplace. He wondered what they would think of him if they knew about the deal he had with the pixies. Probably not very pleased, or frightened for everyone's well-being. Though mere apathy was a huge possibility. They were already dead, after all.

"Just tell me from when you and the guards made it to the field."

"Alright, the guards and I made it to the field. I started to bundle up the wheat, and then... nothing." Hans emphasized the last word with a grandiose, circular gesture to the ceiling. "I'm sure the guards can attest to that." There were murmurs of agreements from the guards posted around Hans and his brother. One, however, coughed into his hand. Upon realizing that it was the same guard who he was almost tempted to kill, Hans stiffened, but was intrigued by what he was going to say.

"If I may add, Your Majesty, what I think is relevant? Though I will regretfully admit that I am not quite sure what to make of it yet," the guard ventured. When the king nodded for him to continue, the guard shifted his stance back and forth between his feet. "I remember going to the field, and the blank space in my memory, coinciding with what happened to Prince Hans. However, I do remember feeling like something was being ripped out of me. It was agonizing, and I felt it throughout my whole body. I couldn't see what was going on, nor hear anything, nor could I move, but everything around me was covered in a white light. The pain felt like an eternity, but it gradually faded back into nothingness. Then I remember waking up. I'm sure you know the rest of the story, Your Majesty."

The revelation that the "coaxing" process was torture to its victim drove the fact home that he _really_ didn't know anything about the powers he was working with. Before Hans could further contemplate the severity of the situation that landed in his lap, the king asked, "Have any of you experienced anything else similar?"

Throughout the room, there was a resounding "no" as an answer.

"Then I suggest that my brother and I return to sleep. There is much deliberation that must be done come sunrise," the king said, pulling his bedsheets over himself. At that, the guards resumed their watch over Hans and the king, while Hans continued to stare at the portrait of his parents, the ache in his chest a constant reminder of what was to come.

###

"Elsa, I don't know what dress I should bring! Should I wear our kingdom's colors, to show who we are? Oh, or should I wear Corona's colors? Maybe it'll seem like I'm trying too hard. Oh, should I wear green instead? I've been told that it brings out my eyes. Or maybe not, because then it would seem that I'm too self-centered and care too much about my appearance. That won't do, since I'm not like that at all and..." Princess Anna huffed, gushing over the logistics of wardrobe with her sister, Queen Elsa.

"Oh Anna," Elsa giggled, amused at her sister's antics. "I'm sure that, whatever you decide, you'll do fine." She waved her hands, procuring a few dress ideas on a mannequin with her magic. Elsa herself was having a bit of a problem deciding her attire, too.

"Ooh, that one's perfect! You should definitely wear that one!"

"You don't think it's too... simple?" Elsa regarded the dress, similar to the design she wore when she made her ice castle in the mountains (also known as her go-to design), but with a swirling pattern near the neckline. She had to admit that the design felt uninspired.

"Well, maybe if you continue the swirly things to the rest of the dress, maybe you might think differently?" Anna suggested. With a flick of her fingers, Elsa continued the swirls around the entirety of the dress. "Umm... it looks like a doily... Do you like doilies?"

Elsa regarded the addition to the design and couldn't hide the amusement in her face. Laughing softly to herself, she removed most of the swirls, but saved the original idea along with the swirls trimming the edges of the dress.

"Much better," Anna said, nodding in approval. She looked back to the dresses laid before her on her mattress. "I still have a problem though."

"Why not have Kristoff help you? Maybe a man's opinion will help," Elsa offered.

"But he's busy with helping load the supplies for our voyage. I don't want to bother him." Anna then started to bounce on the balls of her feet at an epiphany she had. "Wait, purple!"

Elsa raised an amused brow at her sister's exclamation. She didn't prod for an answer, knowing her sister was bursting at the seams to reveal her thought process.

"It completely escaped my mind that Arendelle and Corona share purple as common colors on their flag. Oh, and yellow too! Ah! I have the perfect dress for this! Wait here, Elsa," Anna said, scampering to her closet and pulling out a purple ballgown and a yellow ribbon. "Oh, now I need to decide where to put the ribbon." She presented the dress to her grinning sister. Anna was very glad that they were finally free to have sister bonding moments like these after being separated for so long. "Should I wear it like a corsage? Oh wait, maybe in my hair? Or, how about as a necklace? Yeah, that sounds like fun!"

"Elegant, simple, yet enough personality. I love it Anna," Elsa said, running her hands across the purple satin skirt of Anna's presented dress, admiring the embroidery. "Make sure you let Kristoff know, he might have a heart attack if you don't warn him ahead of time," she teased.

"Because of how gorgeous I'll end up being?" Anna said, continuing her sister's jab at jesting.

"Oh, definitely," Elsa laughed.

A knock on the room's doorframe drew the sisters' attention to the steward, clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Your Highnesses," the steward, Kai, said as he entered the room when beckoned inside by Elsa. "Princess Anna's fiancé, Kristoff, has announced that the ship is stocked with all the supplies needed for the journey. He just needs Queen Elsa's and Princess Anna's suitcases."

"Oh, good timing, Kai. We've just finished packing," Anna said, haphazardly stuffing her dress into an open suitcase and clasping it closed. Elsa did the same with her own, though much more neatly. "Tell him we're on our way. Thanks!" Kai bowed and left the room.

Anna turned to Elsa, nervousness etched on her face.

"Can I tell you something, Elsa?" Anna asked, voice low.

"Always, Anna," Elsa replied, emulating her sister's tone.

"I'm actually really scared about the sailing part of our trip."

Elsa embraced Anna in a hug, her fears of freezing those she loved thawed months ago, hoping to comfort her little sister.

"Can I tell _you_ something, Anna?"

Anna giggled when she heard her sister mirror her words. "Always, Elsa."

"Me, too. But I've learned that love can overcome fear. As long as we're together, I think we will get through this."

"And Kristoff."

Elsa giggled, "And Kristoff. He won't abandon you. The sailors also assured us that there aren't any storms between Arendelle and Corona this time of the year. We'll be there in about two weeks, a week and a half if the winds are good."

###

With the royal sister's luggage safely on the floating vessel in the moonlit bay, Kristoff brushed his hands together in finality. He pulled out a carrot from his pocket and handed it to Sven. Sven happily crunched at the vegetable, making sure to leave some for Kristoff to munch on.

"Well, it looks like we're all done here," Kristoff said to the reindeer. Sven looked at Kristoff with sad eyes, hanging his head down low.

 _"Why can't I go with you guys?"_ Kristoff said in "Sven's voice."

"Corona is way too hot for reindeer. I explained this before."

_"But what about Elsa?"_

"Just because she controls ice, doesn't mean that she's _made_ of it."

_"Why can't she give me a flurry like Olaf?"_

"You bring up a good point there, pal. But I guess it's for the same reason that Olaf needs to stay here. Not everyone knows that Elsa has ice powers. A reindeer with a miniature snow cloud over his head would bring too much attention. And you know how nervous Elsa gets with unwanted attention."

 _"Alright, if you say so."_ Sven hung his head lower, eyes now gazing toward the floor.

"Oh, come on now, Sven. I know that we're going to be gone for about a month. Think of it like this: you don't have to share the carrots while I'm gone."

At this, the reindeer perked his ears up and cantered happily with his front legs. _"Okay!"_

Elsa and Anna exited the boat after their cursory inspection of all their supplies. Anna approached Kristoff and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Has Sven warmed up to the idea of being away from you for a month?" Anna asked, laughing at the reindeer's little jig.

_"You bet I have."_

"Hey, some loyal friend you are," Kristoff chuckled, assured that his friend would be fine as we went on the voyage.

"Your Majesty, are you ready to disembark at this moment? The waters are calm, and the skies suggest smooth sailing for the next few days. And considering the late hour, there would be fewer vessels around the pier to delay our journey a few hours," the captain of the ship said, taking off his cap and bowing to the queen.

"We're ready," Elsa said, nodding. The captain straightened and replaced his hat upon his head and whistled sharply to the sailors on the ship.

"Hoist the anchor and man the rigging! We're setting off!"

Anna gripped Kristoff's hand with a shaking, nervous fist as the two walked the ramp up to the ship. Elsa, taking a few calming breaths herself, followed the couple and boarded the boat.

###

As the rays of sunlight filtered into the room, Hans, bleary-eyed, woke up to his surroundings confused. It was plain to see that he wasn't in his cell, and a few more moments of wakefulness connected that he was in his brother's bedroom. A quick glance at said brother's bed indicated that he had already awoken.

A sharp stinging in his chest brought him back to reality, as well as the shaking of his shoulders by one of the guards to rouse him further. He also noted that the bag and the scythe were still in the possession of the guard from the other night. Seeing them eased the ache, strangely enough, a fact that he knew would prove useful to remember.

"Your Grace, your presence is requested by the king at this instant," the guard said, helping Hans up to his feet.

"I'm not yet presentable," Hans said, gesturing to the dirtied clothing he wore to the field the night before. The guard shook his head.

"There's no time for that, he needs you right now."

"What's the matter?" Considering the tone of the guard, something was terribly wrong. Two guards grabbed him by the elbows when Hans made no move to answer the summons. The halls of the castle blurred past him as every worst-case scenario played out in his mind, wondering what in the world was happening. Before he knew it, he was kneeling before the king. Gauging by the disheveled appearance of the king and the rest of his brothers, something terrible enough happened to have all of them awake and present at this early hour. A feeling of dread bottomed out at the pit of his gut when he saw that his "ringmaster" brother, the tenth in line, wasn't among them.

"W-where's Klaus?" Hans asked, fearing their answer.

"He's dying, Hans," the king said, pain in his eyes. "He didn't want to see anyone else but you."

"But... but why? What happened?"

"He's poisoned himself."

"What!?" Hans' heart skipped a few beats as he scrambled to his feet and took off toward his dying brother's room. No, no, his brother wouldn't do something like this. He _wouldn't_. He heard the footsteps of guards scampering to follow him in his mad dash to find Klaus. Of all the stupid things his brother had done in the past, he wouldn't _ever_ do such a thing to himself. To Hans, to "show him his place," yes, but never to himself.

"Klaus!" Hans gasped when he saw the condition his brother was in: pale skin, droplets of blood spattering the corners of his lips, eyes sunken in. "Oh no, what did you do? What did you do?" He gripped at his brother's shoulders and clung to them as if his brother was about to die at any moment. Which, in actuality, was likely going to happen.

"Hey, Hans," Klaus coughed out, weakly. "A little pixie told me about helping you out."

At that moment, the guards filed in, panting for breath. For some reason, Hans observed, the same guard was holding his bag and scythe.

"Can you leave those for me?" Klaus whispered out, waving to the objects in the guard's hands. "And leave us alone for a bit?" Unsure, the guards did as he requested, and shut the door behind them on the way out.

"Pixie, what pixie? What are you talking about?" Hans asked, dread creeping its way across his mind.

"Save your breath, my prince," the familiar voice of the pixie tittered. "You're in no state for story telling."

"What have you done to my brother?" Hans ground out through gritted teeth.

"Exactly what he said. I told him about helping you out. Your poor older brother felt extremely guilty about messing up everything in your life, and he jumped at the chance at hoping to redeem you, even at the risk of his health. All he had to do was cooperate, and I promised that everything will be as it should be in the end. After all, a pixie's promise is guaranteed.

"Of _course_ he agreed. _Anything_ to save you from yourself, and fulfill all your missed potential. No greater love, am I right?" She waved her hands, and the door behind him glittered with an otherworldly sheen. "That should keep the guards from listening in. No sound will escape this room, and no one will be the wiser."

"You mean... _you_ did this?"

"Of course! How else to help ease you into your new responsibilities? Pah, you thought he was man enough to off _himself_ for your sake? Please. Besides, if he wanted to, there was no way to make sure that you'd fill into your new role properly with him dying prematurely. At least this way, he'll see what you've become."

The hopeful gaze on Klaus' face shattered all resolve within Hans. With the look he gave him, there was no way he knew what was _really_ going on! The pixie harrumphed, and waved her hand, causing Klaus to groan in painful anguish.

"He's already made a last request to send you over to Corona." She waved a hand at the letter on the nearby desk. "It'll be enough to convince the others to send you there. But the other pixies and I have to make sure that you're even _capable_ of doing what we require."

"It'll be alright Hans. You can do this, she says that you can fix so much more if you just do what she asks."

The pixie waved her other hand, causing the scythe and bag to float over to Hans, who took them regretfully. She nodded at him, a wicked smile on her face.

"Just do what I showed you," she persuaded. "Or else this gets really nasty, really quick. I'm sure you can at least give him some mercy, if your new conscience is anything to go by."

With jittering hands, Hans opened the satchel of dust, grabbing a small cluster. Klaus eyed his movements, eyeing the dust and relief filling his gaze. Hans sprinkled the dust on his brother's torso. The relief in his brother's face turned to betrayal when the pain did not lessen, but increased tenfold.

"B-but Hans, why?" his brother choked out. "I thought. I thought this was for good!"

"It is, my sweet prince," the pixie cackled. "But isn't it obvious what he was going to do? The scythe and satchel didn't bring to mind anything of the stories you humans tell? Well, I guess your brother _is_ missing that black hooded cloak. Oh my, betrayal is so much fun to witness firsthand!" She clapped her palms together in glee. "Come on, Prince Hans, the land is waiting!"

As soon as the pixie said as much, a soft light began to emanate from his brother. Klaus, in greater hysterics, struggled against whatever was happening, but was too weak to resist. The voice within Hans returned, commanding him. _Kill him._

"Hans, tell me that what she says isn't true! Please! Please don't tell me I'm making my brother into a monster!" Klaus pleaded, realization of what was about to happen setting in. Then, much softer, "Please, tell me that all I did won't destroy you in the end."

"Ooh, look, he's perfect. See? He's in the prime of his summer, the ties that hold him to the physical world is strong. Well, there is a bit of grey around him. I guess it makes little difference. He wasn't the best person around though, was he? Enough waiting around, either you're going to do it, or I will. If you aren't going to do it for some faceless guard, or the brother you were bitter towards for many years, I'm not going to give you a better choice next time, I swear it." She fluttered away from Hans and landed on Klaus' chest. She knelt down and placed a quick kiss on his collar bone and smirked.

Klaus' eyes widened at the sudden rush of pain firing against all his nerves, the glowing around him intensifying.

"Oh, God! Oh, God, make it stop! Hans! Just do it! I can't..." Klaus gasped out, clawing at his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he wracked about in spastic kicks of his legs.

Hans, sobbing at what he steeled himself to do, gripped the handles of the scythe and slashed its glowing blade at his brother's torso, passing through as if it was a ghost. His brother's movements stilled, body limp and void of life, but still in one piece. The light around his brother wafted up into the air, resembling smoke from a sizzled-out fire and fading out of existence.

"You feel that, Hans? The land's _very_ happy right now. I told you having a mortal human do the deed is the only correct way to go about this. Just keep doing that, and things will go smoothly. Though, feel free to do whatever else you want with those new gifts of yours. They _are_ for you to do with them as you please, save for the occasional sacrifice requirement."

He didn't deny to himself that the ache in his heart from earlier was completely gone. He almost doubted that it was there in the first place. Almost, but now his heart was heavy with the burden of killing one of his siblings.

"Please, just go," Hans whispered out, walking to his brother's corpse. "You got what you wanted, right? No more pixie influence as soon as I secure voyage to Corona. I assure you that my brothers will see to it, Klaus' death made sure of it. So please, no more."

"As you wish, Your Highness," the pixie said gleefully. "No more pixie influence from here on out, cross my heart. The land though... no promises there." With a wink and a wave at the charmed door, the pixie flew up into the room's ceiling. Hans didn't even register that the guards piled in the room, hoisting him away from the corpse. He was totally, and absolutely numb inside.

###

The voyage to Corona went by a lot faster and far less painless than the two sisters had originally thought. The sea was accommodating, and the skies were clear throughout the journey. In two weeks' time, they finally docked their ship at Corona's port, the shining sun casting the kingdom in a golden light.

Their welcoming committee consisted of the king and queen of Corona, a horse, and a chameleon perched atop the horse's head.

"Welcome to our humble kingdom of Corona, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle!" the Coronian queen greeted. "As well as Princess Anna's betrothed, Kristoff of Arendelle."

"You can just call me Elsa. Thank you for the warm welcome, Your Majesty," Elsa said, curtsying to the king and queen. Anna mimicked her sister's movements, not quite up to speed with etiquette like her older sibling. Kristoff followed suit with a clumsy bow.

"Oh please, Elsa, just call me Rapunzel. Though I'm not sure what Eugene here would like to be called."

The man in question grinned, embarrassed, and coughed into his hand.

"Eugene or Flynn is fine, but I prefer Flynn," the king responded after a short beat. The crown on his head felt foreign, still feeling a bit unsure how to fill his new role as a ruler. Even if he had a few years of experience already. "This is Maximus and Pascal." He referred to the two animals standing beside him.

"A pleasure to meet both of you," Anna greeted, laughing as she curtsied to the strange pair.

"Uh, so! Let's get the festivities started, yes?" Flynn said, clapping and rubbing his hands together, trying to relieve the embarrassment he still felt. Rapunzel laughed and took her husband by the arm while she beckoned the guests to follow.

She led them to the middle of the town square, where the citizens of Corona were engaged in dancing and general merry-making. Upon seeing their rulers among them, the crowd cheered and parted to make way for them to walk to a raised platform in the center.

"Citizens of Corona, please give a warm welcome to our guests: Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Kristoff of Arendelle!" Rapunzel announced, eliciting even more cheers and hurrahs from the crowd.

Kristoff, unused to having this kind of attention, shied back a bit from the crowd. Flynn, noticing his discomfort, smiled in understanding, and edged back to lean over and whisper to him, "Don't worry, it gets worse."

"Worse?" Kristoff gasped, backing even further away from the crowd.

"Hey, there's no point in lying to you, right? Don't worry, I've been in the same boat before. Well... kinda. I'm sure you heard the stories of my... _infamous_ past. Still, a commoner pushed into the limelight of royalty? I could practically write a book on it."

"How do you deal with it?"

"Actually... Uh... I just let Rapunzel do all the royal stuff. We make decisions together, of course, but she's the one who's more a natural at it."

"Great..."

"Hey, if you want, Rapunzel and I can give you and Anna a few pointers."

"That would be great, thanks."

"Though, first thing: just smile, wave, and try not to pick your nose."

"Ew! Don't tell me you do that, too!" Anna squealed, disgusted at hearing the subject of their conversation.

"I _told_ you, Anna. All guys do it," Kristoff said, a smug grin on his face. Feeling more confident, he waved at the crowd.

###

"Wow, your kingdom really knows how to throw an anniversary celebration," Anna stated, cutting into the fish on her dinner-plate with a knife. "And man, your castle is a lot more lively than where we live in Arendelle."

"We can actually get away with a lot more with the climate around here. It gets too hot to have fewer windows. Though I will admit that I wish the castle were more cozy sometimes. It's a trade-off for when it gets cooler. While it doesn't snow here very often, the castle lets off the same amount of heat in the summer as it does in the wintertime," Rapunzel said before taking a sip from her glass.

"That's true, ours _is_ the perfect castle to snuggle up in when it's cold."

"So how have you managed with your kingdom lately, Elsa?" Rapunzel asked, politely changing the subject. "How are they taking things?"

"In regards to my powers? They know, though we're not really going to announce it to the world, but we're not going to be secretive about it like before," Elsa replied. "Whoever knows, knows. If they ask, we'll just confirm it. What they make of that information, I'm sure there can be further discussions about it on a case-by-case basis.

"Though in regards to the economy... It's been better. Cutting off trade with one of Arendelle's most prominent trade partners has taken a toll on supplies and goods, but thankfully we have your kingdom to thank for keeping us relatively stable. While it certainly is a further distance from Arendelle to Corona, than it is to Weselton, it's not completely undoable."

"Oh, we heard about the fiasco revolving around its duke's actions at your coronation. He should have been more diplomatic about it though, he was practically shooting himself in the foot with all that he's done," Flynn added to the conversation.

"Excuse me, Your Majesties, a letter has arrived, as well as a ship from the Southern Isles," a butler said, bowing and handing Flynn a letter, who in turn passed it to Rapunzel.

"The... Southern Isles?" Anna gaped, hands gripping her utensils in anticipation. Kristoff placed a comforting hand on top of hers, squeezing lightly. Elsa flinched, and was thankful that she was wearing her gloves at the moment. While she knew they didn't really provide a barrier for when she used her magic, and that she would have days where she loathed to put them on, their familiarity and associative reminder to maintain control helped to soothe her.

"Why now? They've never really asked us for anything before," Rapunzel said, half to herself, as she opened the letter. As she read silently to herself, her eyes widened in shock and confusion, and then to sadness. Then clearing her throat, she read the letter, again, aloud:

_"To the King and Queen of Corona:_

_In light of recent events, I hope that you forgive any informality that comes across in this letter. We are desperate, and we have no other kingdoms to turn to after our youngest heir's treachery in Arendelle. Please, we beg of you, at least have the mercy to hear us out._

_While Arendelle sent Prince Hans home to us to receive his deserved punishment, it happened that we couldn't bring ourselves to do such a thing. Attempted murder means to be hanged in our kingdom, and we couldn't do it. We couldn't bring ourselves to revoke his birthright, since it felt that we would tear the last vestige of connection that we had with him._

_You see, we were terrible to him in the past, and in our immature squabbling and treatment of him, raised and molded him into the man we sent to Arendelle. We hoped that getting him away from our toxic influence would be beneficial to him, but it turned out not to be the case and was returned home much worse than before. We still hold onto hope that there is something in Hans to redeem him, and it continues to be apparent that he will not find it at home._

_It tears us apart to see him slowly descending into madness. The guilt even drove one of us to take our own life. Please, I beg of you. Your rule has been characterized with fair judgment and mercy, we cannot follow in such footsteps regarding our brother. It appears that we are only making it worse. As the final wish from Prince Klaus before dying of self-poisoning, please help us with Hans._

_We sent him in the boat that delivered this letter to you. If you see it fit to execute him, so be it. It's only right for just people to make such a call. If not, we only hope that it's not too late to reach him._

_I hope this fact doesn't hurt Hans' case: he brought no other possessions of home except for the harvesting tools he used in his last occupation as punishment. I'm afraid he gets terrified and certainly inconsolable when they are not with him. It seems that they are the only source of solace he has, strange as it is, since the death of Klaus. It's pertinent to note that he was also the only one who witnessed Klaus' death, and I fear he is close to completely losing his grip with reality because of it. He constantly claims that he was the one who killed him, cutting him in half with the scythe._

_Rest assured, though, that it is impossible. There was no evidence of foul play in Klaus' death. But I will not deny the need to have eyes watching him as much as possible. Its hard to tell if Hans is still capable of regicide in his delirium._

_I don't ask for you to keep him, if it's against your wishes. I only ask for you to do what is right, since the Westergaard family seems to have lost sight of right and wrong long ago._

_King Pieter Westergaard of the Southern Isles"_

"Hans is _here!?"_ Anna exclaimed, now gripping the tablecloth and worrying its edges. "Why did they have to send _him_ here? I'm sure their king is just as vile and conniving if their brother is anything to go by."

"Anna, please understand that King Pieter is not like his younger brother. He's a fair and just ruler, though somewhat reserved when it comes to foreign relations. And also known to be a bit of a push-over. Their kingdom is constantly struggling, and would have definitely ceased to exist if Corona cut off alliances with them. I'm sure he meant what he said in sending Hans to Arendelle, he only wanted to do what he thought was best for him. If Elsa was a terrible person, trying to kill innocent people, and you were the one to decide her fate in the end, what would you do? Especially if you still feel the bond siblings have with one another?" Rapunzel reasoned. "And if you doubted your own decisions, as well?"

"Okay, fine, I'll trust your judgment about King Pieter. It doesn't change my attitude about Hans," Anna relented, sighing and crossing her arms. Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed circles with his thumb. She smiled gratefully at his attempts at comforting her.

"What are you going to do about him?" Elsa asked, finally finding her voice.

"What would you like for us to do?" Flynn asked. Rapunzel nodded in agreement. "I mean, he wronged the two of you, it would seem fair for you to have a say in what's going to happen."

What _would_ she like for them to do? As the letter suggested, it was alright to execute him if they willed it. But she also didn't rest easy with the idea of having a man hanged if he wasn't mostly entrenched in reality. Moral dilemmas were always so hard for her to decide upon, but it came with running a country. No matter what choice, she needed to make sure she did it justly and for the greater good, in the end.

Justice called for seeing Hans' situation firsthand, as a start. It wouldn't do to make a choice and not have enough detail about a situation without at least seeing it in person, if she could help it.

"We need to see the prisoner, for starters. From there, I guess the appropriate arrangements can be made," Elsa answered at last.


	3. Passions Renewed

Hans paced around the small confines of the holding cell of the boat. The guards watching him eyed him warily, occasionally reaching out as if to stop... whatever it was Hans was doing. He grunted in frustration, hating every moment he spent in the brig.

The land was calling for another sacrifice, the fire burning at him again a few days after his brother's "suicide" while he attended the funeral. He almost gave in when he realized that, though Hans felt like it was enough, the land didn't care and wanted _more_. Oh, if only he didn't leave his cell to meet with the pixie, none of this would have happened.

He wanted nothing more than to be punished for what he did, but no matter how much he told them that he did the deed, that it was his fault Klaus was dead, no one believed him. Hans thought it a cruel irony that, when telling the truth, they thought him insane. Yet more often than not in the past, when he lied, he practically played each fool like a harp. A cruel irony, indeed.

If that dreaded pixie was still watching his plight, he was sure that she would be laughing at him about now.

Running a hand through his tangled mess of hair, Hans put his mind to work, not ceasing his infinite walk around his cell. He needed to distract himself, or else he might genuinely lose all reason because of the aggravating twisting in his chest demanding another victim.

The boat had finally reached harbor, he listed in his head. It took a little under two weeks to get to Corona, which meant that –

Well, he hoped that he didn't intrude on something important, since it seemed that he arrived during the king and queen's wedding anniversary. They wouldn't be too pleased with him about that.

Okay, so that would put a bit of a kink in his plans to win the rulers over. Hopefully they were as merciful as his king brother implied, because if they weren't, it seemed that the pixies' fun with him would be over.

He smiled at the mental image of a large crowd of pixies wreaking havoc at his death. Over-dramatic, sure, but doesn't everyone want a bit of fanfare when they die?

The thoughts brought him back around to think about Klaus and his demise. Hans stopped his pacing and slowly sank to his knees, feeling like the breath was kicked out of him. Curse Klaus. If Klaus hadn't been such a fool and loved him enough to feel guilt about "driving Hans insane," then Hans wouldn't be distraught over killing him. He never thought that he was capable of ever feeling that way towards any of his brothers, Klaus the worst of them all, yet here he was. And there Klaus wasn't.

Hans almost laughed at himself for daring to "think ill of the dead." Hans didn't forgive Klaus for everything he did to him as a child, and even up until a few years ago when his brothers started having a change of heart. No, Klaus was still a terrible person in Hans' mind. The same goes for his living siblings.

But why did he still agonize for what happened to Klaus? Perhaps that's the strange force that brought Queen Elsa to her knees, thinking she was responsible for Princess Anna's death, even after shutting her little sister out of her life for over a decade. Was this the unconditional love for a sibling?

Hans pursed his lips and cursed the thought of _those_ sisters. Why his thoughts settled on _them,_ he would never know. He swore that, if he ever got his hands on either one of them, he _would not_ hesitate in killing them. Sure, he would gain nothing in their deaths this time around (though admittedly if he were to sacrifice them, maybe a few days of reprieve), but they were responsible for him failing his plans. Also, Hans never liked to leave things unfinished.

Yes, his brothers were also largely at fault for far more transgressions and he still harbored ill-will towards them, but if his reactions back at the wheat field were anything to go by, he would never enact revenge on his siblings. At least, "revenge" by way of killing them. Killing Klaus obviously didn't alleviate any need for closure. In reality, it made things worse.

In fact, if he were to blame anyone for the situation he was in right now, he would blame Queen Elsa above anyone else. Oh, that realization settled far better in his chest than blaming himself for all of this. After all, it was _her_ magic that made the pixies even _consider_ him to be some kind of steward of sacrifice for some death-hungry magical consciousness.

Revenge, though... Wasn't the thirst for revenge what got him into this mess in the first place? It _was_ partially due to the fact that he willingly decided to seek out the pixie and her promises of vengeance, despite having been told in the past about how dangerous her kind was. No matter, regardless of what he called it, revenge or otherwise, Elsa will finally get her just deserts.

"He's in here?" a female voice reverberated throughout the brig. One of the guards answered in the affirmative, and Hans heard a small stampede of footsteps approach his cell.

"He's not looking too good," another voice, male, said in front of the bars. Hans raised his face to see the new people who were observing him. A man and a woman, finely dressed, watched him with observant eyes. A group of about four uniformed men, likely soldiers or guards, stood behind them donning the colors of Corona.

"He's refused to care for himself during the voyage. The only thing we've managed was to get him to eat, Your Majesties," one of the Southern Isles guards said.

Upon hearing the honorific, Hans bowed his head again, showing respect. It seemed that the king and queen of Corona had decided to grace him with their presence. Things were beginning to look less bleak for Hans.

"What's your name?" the king asked.

A strange question, especially if his brother left out a few _important_ details about the person being transported in a prisoner vessel.

"Hans Westergaard, Your Majesty."

"How many brothers do you have?"

Hans blinked a few times, not quite believing the kinds of questions the king was asking.

"Twelve – I mean, eleven, Your Majesty." What would be the correct answer to that question? "I _had_ twelve, but –"

"Do you pick your nose and eat your boogers?"

Hans' head shot up and stared at the king in disbelief. "What? No! Of course not! I am a _prince,_ Your Majesty, and I –"

"He's pretty stable, you can take him to the dungeon now," the king interrupted, eyes agleam with amusement. Hans couldn't help but feel like he was cheated, somehow. Still, he admired the wit the king had in figuring out his mental status. He was still reeling, trying to piece together what exactly happened in their verbal exchange, however. "And put this on him, we don't want to alarm everyone." The king tossed a heap of fabric at one of his entourage behind him.

"What of his possessions, Your Majesty?" a Southern Isles guard asked.

"We'll let him hold them. Just remember to put a sheath on the business end of that... what even _is_ that?"

"Its called a scythe, Eugene," the queen laughed. "I'm the one who's been locked away in a tower, and even _I_ knew that."

His brothers had mentioned a few details about the monarchy of Corona and their strange history, so what the queen said didn't surprise him. The king, however, he was still trying to get a read on. He certainly had a non-regal way of carrying himself. Probably was a commoner at some point. There was also a hint of uncertainty about him, despite the show of confidence he displayed after questioning him.

"Uh huh, well, make sure Prince Hans doesn't get any funny ideas while holding that thing. While we don't want to distress him any further, we also don't want to run the risk of having a mess to clean up." The king, Eugene, if Hans heard the name correctly, directed his attention to his kneeling form. "And please don't give me a reason to disappoint your brother. He asked nicely."

###

Again, the irony was not lost on Hans when he thought about what was happening around him at that moment. Being escorted, more or less, like a common prisoner; he had expected as much. Under the guise of night, he expected as well. The combination of the two, along with the plain black cloak to hide his features as he brandished the curved blade of the scythe above his head (though effectively sheathed); yes, bravo, but please hold the encore next time.

At the very front of the escort, Hans could hear the two rulers talking softly to each other. He tuned his ears, trying to pick up their conversation without making it obvious that he was trying to eavesdrop.

"And I have no idea how you were able to do that so well!" the queen said.

"Rapunzel, you flatter me," the king said, brushing off the compliment with a flick of his wrist. "My old days as a thief come in handy. I know his type, even dealt with them before."

"I'm so glad I put you in charge of talking to him."

Hans lost track of the rest of the conversation, since their voices turned too low for him to hear clearly.

So, the king used to be a thief, and had done some unscrupulous things with none-too-pleasant people. And somehow he was able to win the heart of the princess, marry her, and later became king. What had King Eugene done differently, that Hans wasn't able to do the same? Why did Fate have him set his sights on Arendelle instead of Corona?

Probably for the same reason he was stuck in the soul-sacrificing business: Fate was cruel, and _loved_ to rub things in his face. He almost laughed at the possibility that Fate was another magical consciousness, similar to the concept that the land around him _really_ hated humans right now.

Speaking of which, that brought up the issue of when – he already gave up on the possibility of _if –_ he was going to carry out another... "assignment." Because, wow, if the stirring in his chest was anything to go by, the land that he was slave to was _very_ impatient. He could already feel the edges of his own thoughts getting prodded at by the incessant chant of _kill, kill, kill_ that pulsed with the ache in his chest.

If the chant were with words much less morbid, he might say it sounded beautiful. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and he was left with something that made him uncomfortable.

###

"He's in the dungeon right now," Rapunzel said to Elsa, taking a seat in the meeting room. Flynn took a seat next to his wife.

"Is he... 'alright in the head'?" Anna asked using air quotes with her hands.

"Eugene thinks he's safe enough for a small interrogation, but since we don't know his character very well, it'll be hard to tell when he's lying or not. At best, the two of us have the risk of unknowingly being manipulated." Rapunzel pushed a short brunette lock of hair behind her ear, which fell stubbornly out of place again. A nervous tick probably, Elsa assumed.

"You want us to interrogate him?" Elsa asked, wondering if she understood what they were implying.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Rapunzel added quickly. "I mean, yeah, it's doable, but I'm not sure Eugene and I are cut out for dealing with Hans with just the two of us."

"Why? What did he do?" Anna asked, worried.

"Nothing, and that's the problem," Flynn stated, raking his fingers in his hair. He forgot his crown was there and caught it before it fell to the ground. Rapunzel took it from him and set the accessory back on his head. He gave her a sheepish, thankful smile. "I've dealt with people similar to Hans in the past: sly, secretive, manipulative, stab-you-in-the-back and whatnot. I can get _some_ things out of him if I were to catch him off guard. I tried that trick on him to see if he was still sane, and it worked... _But..._ I think he caught on, because as soon as I tried to get more out of him, I got nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Just stared at me bored and kept his mouth shut. I can't get a read on him if he's trying to get a read on me. At least, that's what I _think_ he was doing."

"And you want us to... what, exactly?"

"Well... it's a long shot, but just be in the room while we talk to him again. You can ask him a few questions as well, if you're so inclined. I was thinking that just having him face the people he's wronged might make him more susceptible to spilling things. Forgive me for bringing this up, but I heard that he did reveal his whole plan to _you,_ Anna. He might do the same again. Or maybe lose his cool and forget about trying to keep quiet."

"Ugh, _fine_ , I'll join you. But please let me just punch him in the face if he bothers me, okay?"

"I'll go with you," Kristoff said. "I won't let him hurt you again, if I can help it."

"Aw, thanks Kristoff."

Everyone in the meeting room stood from their seats, save for Elsa. She played with the stitching on her gloves, staring off into the distance.

"Do you want to join us, Elsa?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, but I'm going to join you a bit later. I'm... feeling a bit overwhelmed right now at the thought of having to face him," Elsa replied. She bit the bottom of her lip in worry. "But I share the same sentiment as Kristoff. I don't want him hurting anyone if I can help it. I've learned that it's better to face your fears and problems head-on instead of running from them." Anna smiled at Elsa's words. She smiled back, knowingly.

"Okay, we'll see you there in a bit. Everyone else ready then?" Everyone else nodded and left the room, leaving Elsa alone at the long wooden table.

She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, blocking out the world around her and trying to center herself. Anna was safe with Kristoff, Hans was locked away in a dungeon. There was no need for worry. Except, why did she still feel anxious?

Because Hans had easily fooled everyone in the past. She wasn't sure if that would still be true if King Pieter's letter really meant what it said, that Hans was quickly descending into madness and his brother's death was the last straw. Would an imbalanced psyche still be capable of manipulation? Was the insanity even real, though?

Was he insane the whole time?

There was no way, she figured, to really know unless she faced him again. Hopefully King Eugene, also known as the infamous Flynn Rider, would be able to coax the truth out of him with his plan. If not, she herself would have a shot at it.

A knock at the meeting room's door signaled the entry of one of the castle's servants. She was out of breath, blood rushing to her face as if she recently sprinted to meet Elsa.

"Your... Majesty," the servant wheezed. "It's... it's not urgent, but... Queen Rapunzel requests that you start making... your way to the dungeon."

"Did she say why?" Elsa asked the servant.

"No, Queen Elsa."

"May I ask why you ran here, then?"

"There was a lot of shouting, Your Majesty." The servant, finally catching her breath, relaxed her posture and cleared her throat. "I was just worried if it would end up being urgent, despite Queen Rapunzel's reassurances."

"Can you lead me to them?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

###

As soon as she opened the door to the dungeon, she could hear Anna and Hans screaming angrily at each other. Turning the corner, she saw Anna with her arms waving around her head, pacing. Kristoff followed Anna around, hands in front of him in a placating gesture. Rapunzel and Flynn sat on two stools, watching the volley of words between Anna and Hans with wide eyes. Hans gripped at the bars of his cell, knuckles turing white. Two guards stood watch, their discomfort apparent in their stances.

"You ruined everything!" Hans screamed. "Why couldn't you have been given a sense of self-preservation like everyone else!? Because of you, I lost my chance at freedom. I lost my brother!"

"Oh yeah? Good riddance! I thought you didn't care for them anyway!" Anna retorted, face turning red in fury. "He killed himself out of guilt, right? I hope you develop a conscience like that and join him!"

Hans released his hold on the bars and stepped back, face contorted into shock. Anna clasped her hands over her mouth, stunned silent. Elsa, herself, was surprised at the words that came from her sister. She could see the regret in Anna's eyes, tears threatening to fall.

Hans' features molded into a smile and an a stony gaze, hiding whatever emotion he was feeling.

"Oh my, Anna. I never knew you were actually capable of saying something that would hurt me," Hans chuckled, the charming character from the coronation playing through his words. "Did that make you feel better?"

"He's deflecting, Anna. I think that's enough for now," Flynn sighed. "I think your sister should have a crack at him."

At the mention of Elsa's presence, Hans' act dropped and snapped his attention to where she stood. She walked to where everyone else was situated, making sure to not knock over the sheathed scythe leaning against the wall in front of Hans' cell. Within a split second, Hans slammed himself into the cell door, hands reaching out to grab at her.

"You!" Hans seethed, eyes ablaze with an otherworldly fury that shook Elsa to her core. "Because of you, my life is not my own anymore! Because of you, I had to kill Klaus! If you hadn't been so reckless with your powers, the land would not be hammering away at my sanity day in and day out! They wouldn't have chosen me!"

Elsa and the rest of the onlookers stilled at his outburst, afraid to move a muscle.

Hans stopped his attempts at grabbing Elsa, as if he realized his attempts were futile. His arms dropped to his sides in defeat. His monologue turned slightly inward, as if the people watching him were no longer there. "They wouldn't have sent me away from home. They wouldn't have seen my need for revenge for their little 'game.' They wouldn't have played my weaknesses." He closed his eyes and rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands, shoulders sagging in submission.

Then, he clawed at his chest, grabbing at the clothing on top into his fist. A look of surprise and agony flashed across his face, an outcry of pain escaped his lips. He sank to the ground, still holding his chest and eliciting tortured gasps.

Kristoff was the only one who dared to speak.

"Is he... having a heart attack?" he inquired. "Should we do something?"

"I... I don't know what to do. I've never dealt with one before," Rapunzel responded after a few moments, voice rife with alarm and uncertainty. "Get... get a doctor! Quickly!" she ordered the servant that escorted Elsa. The servant bowed hastily and clambered out of the dungeon.

"Make it stop, please," Hans pleaded softly, shuddering with each word, tears streaking down his face.

Would-be murderer, or not, Elsa didn't feel right just standing around while watching someone suffer. It also didn't help that she wasn't sure if he was _still_ acting. How horrible a situation to be in, having someone who could help you being unsure enough to even try.

"Prince Hans," she called out to him, standing in front of the cell. "Hans, a doctor is coming to help you. I-I think if you were to lay down, it would prevent you from getting more injured if you end up passing out. Can you do that?"

At the sound of her voice, Hans' head shot up, disbelief hidden underneath the grimace of pain.

"W-why are you helping me?" he huffed out. He made no move to follow her suggestion.

"I would want someone to do the same for me."

He laughed weakly, a morose sound that didn't sit well with Elsa.

"This isn't a heart attack, I assure you," he coughed out. "Just a little battle for my sanity, is all." He grinned as if it were the best joke he had ever told – or that he was hiding something. For all she knew about Hans, it could easily be both.

"I'm here, Your Majesties," the doctor said as he barged into the dungeon, a leather satchel at his side. "Where is he? How long has it been?"

Elsa stood away from the cell and gestured to it, saying, "It's been a few minutes since it started."

"I'm going to need it unlocked, Your Majesties."

"He's dangerous!" Anna warned, wringing her hands in worry.

"How am I supposed to help him if I'm out here, Your Highness?"

Flynn pulled out a ring of keys and handed it to one of the guards, who then unlocked the cell. The doctor rushed into the cell, kneeling by the prince, the guards following suit. He rummaged through his satchel, pushing aside unneeded remedies. The doctor pulled out a vial of liquid and uncorked it.

"You need to drink this, it should help with the chest pain," the doctor said, offering the vial. Hans reached out and slapped the container out of the doctor's hand, causing it to clatter to the ground, spilling its contents.

The change in Hans was sudden, it was apparent the pain was no longer ailing him. His eyes were feral, swirling with an unbridled fury that stunned the doctor to where he was. Hans roared in anger, leaping to his feet and tackling the doctor to the ground. The two guards rushed at him, trying to protect the doctor, but Hans dodged their advances, the medic still caught in his grip. Hans pulled out a bag that was attached to the belt of his pants and tossed a handful of its contents at the doctor and the two guards before setting it on the floor.

The three of them fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Hans cackled darkly, its sound sending shivers down everyone's spines.

Elsa had to cover her ears to protect them from the tormented screams. Her feet were rooted in place, not quite believing what her eyes were telling her was happening. Were they... _glowing?_

Hans stretched out a fist toward the open cell door – why had nobody closed it yet? Why wasn't she reacting? – his attention still on the doctor at his mercy. Elsa heard movement behind her, and dove out of the way when she saw the scythe flew from its perch against the wall into Hans' hand. He pulled off the cloth covering to reveal its glowing blade, a wicked smile never leaving his face.

What was going on? Since when had he been able to do that?

The doctor cried out in fear when Hans arced the scythe at him, its blade passing through his glowing body. Then, the doctor went limp, the light around him wafting into the air. Hans turned his attention to the whimpering guards, doing the same to them, severing their lives short with one swing.

There was a lot less blood than Elsa expected. Practically none, which was _impossible_.

Elsa, finally finding courage to move, shut the cell door and froze it in place, effectively preventing Hans from attacking everyone else.

###

The battle in Hans' mind was still waging, but he continued to fight even when he no longer knew what was going on around him. He felt that he had finally won, especially when the pain had eased, and the voice stopped chanting at him. He took a deep breath, relishing in the freedom. He almost forgot how it felt to not have his sensations and thoughts bombarded with the demands of the land.

He opened his eyes.

Oh, how he wished he hadn't.

The doctor that tried to help him laid still at his feet, the guards accompanying him not too far away in similar states. In his hands, the scythe gleamed its wicked blade at him, and his bag of pixie dust lay on the floor, some of its contents spilled out as if it was dropped from a short height.

The edges encompassing the door to his cell were lodged in ice. His onlookers gaped at him with shocked expressions.

Well, he _did_ warn them by way of Klaus' example, among other things. Admittedly, he wasn't quite forthcoming with _all_ the information earlier. The subtle – and not-so-subtle, he noted with distaste – hints he shared should've tipped them off that something like this would happen. That fault was on them, not on him. He could at least rest easy at night knowing that. Though maybe the torment he faced before killing the three wouldn't let him off easy.

"You're looking at me like you didn't see this coming," Hans quipped, donning the act of the compliant, charming prince. He hoped in doing so, he wouldn't tip them off to how much this was bothering him. His earlier ravings might show that it _did_ bother him to some degree if they connected the dots correctly, but he wasn't going to give them the advantage to know the extent of his discomfort.

Which was _very, very_ much perturbed. The way the two sisters looked at him also added to his disquiet; they looked at him like he was a _monster._

In hindsight, he supposed that he _had_ become a monster, at least in the general populace's eyes, but for _them_ to feel that way? After all they did to ruin him? Now that was just plain unfair. Fate wasn't even trying at this point.

"... Seriously?" the blond-haired man that constantly doted on Anna said. Kristoff, if his memory served him correctly. "Where would you get that idea?"

"You tell me," Hans said, shrugging. "I'm sure my previous outbursts didn't at least allude to the possibility. I do apologize for not reigning in my temper earlier."

"If you call that a temper, I'm afraid to see what you call an outburst."

"Outbursts are always something that people fear."

"Yeah, but are you even a person?"

Hans blinked once. "I beg your pardon?"

"Cut the polite act, it's not gonna work on me."

"I fear that I quite enjoy this 'act'."

"Stop trying to control the conversation. Now, are you even human?"

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"No normal human should be able to move that scythe from across the room without touching it, for starters."

That would explain why he had it in his hands. Though it was still more likely he probably walked out of the cell to retrieve it.

"I assure you that I am a normal human being."

"Nope, try again. Use more appropriate words, since normal people don't do what you just did."

"Alright. I am human."

"Then care to explain to the rest of us _what in the world just happened?_ How could you kill those people without so much as a reaction?"

"Is this not a reaction?"

"It's – _gah_ , you're infuriating."

"I've been told as much in the past. I see why Anna took a liking to you. So sensitive, too caring. Worked like a charm for me in the past."

Anna made a move as if to defend Kristoff, who held her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"I can handle him, Anna," Kristoff said to her, voice calm. "He can't get to me." Then, back to Hans, "You're still beating around the bush. Can't you just answer? It might save you an execution."

"And who are you to have any say in my punishment?"

"The exact person that you should be worried about," the king said from his perch beside his queen. "He seems to be handling himself very well. We'll decide upon how he feels about you."

"Yeah, and I'm feeling a bit tie-you-up-for-the-rest-of-your-life right now," Kristoff said, arms crossed.

Hans considered his options, which weren't very many at this point. Withholding information didn't seem to work in his favor. In fact, it just exacerbated the problem. But if he told them everything? They would kill him, or tie him up just as Kristoff threatened. The former was the more preferred, though he wasn't quite ready to die yet. But if they realized that doing so would anger forces beyond their power? The latter seemed to be the better option for them, since they wouldn't have his death on their minds, and run a lower risk of more people dying because of him.

Living out the rest of his life trying to combat madness? No, he would give in and wouldn't be able to have any control over himself within a month at most. A prisoner in his own mind for the rest of his existence, experiencing tormenting agony all the while. _That_ was a fate worse than death.

And it seemed that choice weighed heavily on what the blond man wanted. There goes his plans of winning over the king and queen. Kristoff didn't seem like one to play these social games. And the man seemed _painfully_ observant, so there was no chance in leaving out any information.

"So, you gonna cooperate?" Kristoff asked when Hans didn't show any indication of speaking anytime soon.

"As long as you will hear me, since it's quite a long story, and I don't want to bore you."

"Just don't lie, and I think we can manage."

Hans' shoulders sagged and he placed the scythe on the ground, his faux confidence melting away and leaving him weary. He sat on the ground, cross-legged, and set his hands on his knees.

"So, where shall I begin?"

###

As Hans started his long explanation, no one made a move to remove the bodies in Hans' cell, even when the man dragged the corpses to the front of the enclosure for them to retrieve. The sight before him looked gruesome.

Kristoff couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pixies? Did he hear that right? And that one of them put some kind of curse on him to "feel the land's anger" and motivate him to being the "Grim Reaper?" All for the reason that they thought it would be _fun?_ Kristoff noticed that, either because Hans didn't know or because he didn't want to say or that he simply forgot to mention it, _why_ the land felt angry wasn't mentioned.

He shuddered at the explicit detail of how Hans' brother Klaus experienced being his first victim. If that's what pixies thought was fun, he hoped he would never garner the attention of such beings in his lifetime.

If it weren't for the fact that he witnessed said reaping firsthand, he would've deemed Hans hopelessly insane. He could see how frustrating it was for Hans to word things in a way to not drive his listeners away; and from the tells Anna and Elsa gave while listening to the tale, they weren't expecting an inarticulate mess of a man that was known to be confident and exact in his words.

"But... that doesn't explain how you did that with the scythe," Elsa pointed out after she added the events that happened in the cell, since it seemed that he wasn't fully aware of what happened.

"To be honest, I don't quite understand it myself. They just left me to deal with it on my own as soon as I made it here. If any of you could give me new information about my situation, please, I'd gladly take it," Hans said, done with his recount of events. "Though that bit of information doesn't sit well with me. The pixie said she would give me power, but she wasn't really forthcoming about what she meant by that."

Hans raised a hand, a look on his face as if he were considering something. He reached out to the harvesting tool in front of him, but not touching the instrument, his hand a foot away from its handle.

"I mentioned that I feel a tug toward this thing, didn't I?" Hans asked, concentrating on the scythe. "I wonder if I..." He curled the fingers of his outstretched hand into his palm. The scythe angled up and its handle was now in his grip, as if it was pulled up with strings like a marionette. As soon as the wooden handle was in his hands, Hans dropped it in surprise.

"Not doing that again," Hans remarked, rubbing a hand against his chest. "That hurt too much to be of any use to me."

"Really? You're gonna go on another killing spree so soon?" Anna asked, hiding behind Kristoff. Kristoff wrapped a protective arm around her, knowing that Hans and his chest pain didn't lead to good things.

"No, no, it just felt like my heart was getting ripped out when I did that. Usually when the land is angry and calls for a sacrifice, it's more of a burning sensation accompanied by the chanting. This, however, feels exactly how I said it feels: like something was being ripped out."

"That brings up a question I have," Kristoff said, remembering his observation from earlier. "Why is the land angry in the first place?"

At this, Hans' expression darkened, earlier discomfort from moving the scythe forgotten. He pointed an accusing finger at Elsa, who stepped back in alarm.

"This is _your_ fault," Hans seethed, though his voice was low and foreboding. "Because of your acts that brought winter in the middle summer a few months ago, the land died when it wasn't ready." He shook his head and closed his eyes. "The pixies considered you at first, but because they deemed you were such a _good person_ , you would bore them with being predictable. Which is why they passed that burden onto _me_. After all, they said that since it was a human that caused all of this and that the land doesn't distinguish, why not?"

Kristoff's memories flashed back to when Hans lost his temper when he noticed that Elsa was with them, making the same accusation. Now knowing _why_ , he felt sorry for the horrible man that was Prince Hans Westergaard. Still, there was a part of him that pointed out that the man had it coming with all the choices he made in the past. Regardless, he wouldn't wish such a fate on anyone.

Then, an idea flickered on like a spark to a candle wick. His family, maybe they could help? They were magical beings, and they had some roots to destiny and fate (though, admittedly, they were specialists in love above all else). It was worth a shot.

"Maybe my family can help out," Kristoff offered. Hans looked to him quizzically, while Anna and Elsa nodded in agreement.

"How could your family possibly help? It's not like they're magical like the pixies. Though maybe if they're like Elsa, perhaps," Hans said, standing from his position on the floor and crossing his arms.

"They're trolls."

"Now you're just taunting me. Don't do that unless you've got a death-wish."

"He's telling the truth," Anna said. "Though why would we ever bring you back to Arendelle?"

"Isn't that reason enough? Make it so that I'm useless to the pixies, or appease the land for good, or whatever solution they may come up with, and this whole nightmare is over. Maybe even punish me afterwards, if you prefer. Everyone wins."

"Except you," Kristoff said.

"Oh, you're feeling sorry for me now?"

"Unlike you, Kristoff has a conscience. So _what_ if he does? He's not a bad person for it. Besides, _he's_ the one helping _you_ for some reason. At least show a bit of gratitude," Anna bit back.

"Queen Elsa, how do you feel about this?" Kristoff asked. He was never sure if he was allowed to drop formality when speaking to his fiancé's sister, but he knew that she would prefer not to be called "Your Majesty" by him. He still needed work with his social graces. Man, falling in love with someone of royal blood was _complicated_. But doing it for Anna made it tolerable and worth all the headache.

Elsa stood still, hands rubbing together.

"I'll need a few days to consider this," she responded, her eyes gazing off into nowhere.


	4. Control, and the Lack Thereof

What originally was planned to be a simple visit to an ally country, Elsa noted in annoyance, quickly turned into negotiations on transporting a prisoner. While Flynn and Rapunzel were more than accommodating in letting Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff lead the decisions regarding Hans, it took much more time out of her days in Corona than she would have liked. To add on top of that, there were also the negotiations about trade that she had already planned for the trip, though they now had less precedence. Trade was good between Corona and Arendelle as always, though much more pronounced than in the past.

If Elsa were to act logically in this case, she would leave all responsibility of Hans to the Coronian rulers, as per the royals of the Southern Isle's request. It was simple, effective (now that everyone knew what they were dealing with), and already had all their resources at their disposal (a good length of rope to either tie him up to prevent him from committing homicide again, or hanging if it came to that). Though admittedly, she would also be selfish in going that route, and it wouldn't sit well in her conscience that Arendelle had the possibility of reversing whatever happened to Hans.

Not to mention that she didn't want to completely ruin the hopes his twelve – _eleven_ – brothers had in fixing the broken relationship they had with their youngest sibling. She would have wanted others to do the same if Anna and herself had a similar strain in their relationship.

However, a large part of agreeing to bring Hans to Arendelle was that she felt _incredibly_ guilty for being at fault for this whole mess. No one had even _imagined_ all the consequences of her bringing an unnatural winter to Arendelle. And now, innocent people were dead because of it. According to Hans' account, the pixies have been killing other people for _months_. She dared not think how many people lost their lives, especially if the land didn't accept those sacrifices as willingly since a human didn't offer them. How much more would needlessly die should this continue?

She knew that, in order for the whole mess to be sorted, she needed to find a way to reverse the anger the land had towards mankind. Hans being at the land's mercy to murder when demanded needed to stop. It was akin to giving an angry alcoholic more alcohol: while it would appease their wants and possibly calm them down for a short while, the cycle will only continue unless you address the underlying constant want for alcohol. Cutting off that supply would be effective, albeit shocking to the addict.

Of course, that was _if_ the trolls were able to free Hans from his curse or to redeem mankind in the land's eyes. Figurative "eyes," of course. If not, she could only hope that she could forgive herself for restraining Hans and driving him mad in not "harvesting" people. It would be for the greater good, of course, but it didn't mean that she would make the decision lightly. Or even if such a solution would last in the end. The sheer number of unknown variables in this problem were too much, and the risks were plentiful, but she and everyone else knew that they needed to try.

In sharing her thoughts and feelings about what she decided to do, Anna kept reassuring her that she wouldn't think less of Elsa for doing so, and that she figured it was okay to have pity on Hans. Though not _too_ much pity, since he was still a horrible person. He killed three strangers and didn't even _react_ , not to mention that he pinned it on everyone else but himself, as Anna had pointed out.

It was on the fifth day of their stay that all of them met with the haggard prince in his cell, the bodies of the guards and doctor long gone. Somehow, some of the castle guards were able to retrieve the corpses shortly after their first confrontation. No one was allowed to be around him afterwards, though a group of at least four guards would deliver him meals and check on him nightly. Other than that, no one really interacted with him as a precaution. Even Elsa and the others didn't even see him since the night of Flynn and Rapuzel's wedding anniversary, now also known as the night three people were needlessly slaughtered. They made their way to the dungeon, six guards in tow.

A bit overkill, if it were any other prisoner.

The sniveling mess of a man in the dungeon wasn't what they expected to find when they went to tell him about bringing him to Arendelle. Pompous, proud, arrogant, or the same cool demeanor he displayed while sharing his tale of the pixie: these attitudes were what they prepared for. To see him visibly breaking down in emotional distress? No one quite knew when to broach the subject, since speaking felt like they were intruding upon something.

Was this still acting?

Hans' back faced them, hunched over and hiding his face from view. The scythe laid against the prison door, as if he couldn't bear looking at it. No one had dared to take it from him. Soft sobs could be heard escaping him once in a while.

Elsa almost didn't hear him when he broke the silence.

"What were their names?" Hans murmured softly.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Anna asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"The guards and the doctor, what were their names?" Hans' voice croaked, a bit louder.

"Why? So you can list off all the people you've killed in your head for some kind of sick amusement?"

"Anna," Elsa interceded, already not liking the direction the conversation was going. Elsa loved her sister, of course, but sometimes she felt that her lack of tact needed to be worked on.

"Sorry," Anna said, sheepish. She swiped pinched fingers across pursed lips and flicked her wrist, a motion that looked like she zipped them closed and threw away a key. Anna at least recognized that flaw in herself, which was a good start. Elsa gave her a small smile at seeing the gesture.

The atmosphere in the dungeon was tense, Hans' sobs ceasing and the silence prevailing.

"Why do you want their names?" Rapunzel asked after a few moments. Looking at her fellow queen, she could see that Rapunzel was distressed. The people who died were under her protection, and being the proper example of royalty, took the blame and sorrow over their demise. A good portion of negotiating the transport of Hans also included trying to console her in the fact that there wasn't much that could have been done. That they had no idea that something like this was to be prevented.

The fact that Rapunzel was the one to call the doctor, causing the avalanche of events to occur, didn't help. Sadly, it seemed that the brunette queen would forever hesitate in her altruistic decisions from then on, this event forever haunting her. The king as well, since he was the one who handed the guards the keys to the cell. Unfortunately, it seemed that even the purest of intentions were not without negative consequence. Elsa hoped that such consequences were able to be rectified.

After all, Elsa was ultimately the one to cause all of this to happen. The thought weighed heavily in her heart and mind. It was no small miracle that she didn't bring another unnatural winter with all the stress she herself was experiencing. Anna's rosy personality and outlook on life certainly helped prevent that.

Oh, she hoped that Anna above anyone else would be able to escape the corrupting blame and pain in the end. If Anna's spirits were to be crushed like everyone else?

Elsa banished the thought.

Hans hunched over even more and brought his hands to his face, covering them. His shoulders sagged as a sigh escaped him.

"I don't know. Princess Anna's probably right."

There was something in his voice that bothered Elsa. Was Hans feeling… guilty? Though if it was guilt from having been exposed, or if it was guilt from having killed people for no reason, it was hard to tell. She hoped it was the latter, because she _definitely_ didn't want to satisfy his curiosity if it was the former.

"William, Strauss, and Doctor Igor," Elsa said, remembering the distress of telling their families the news of their deaths. "And they were upstanding citizens of Corona."

"Doctor Igor saved many lives!" Rapunzel bit out, tears streaking down her face. "He even cared for my parents when they were on their deathbeds, never leaving their sides. William and Strauss were no older than you! Younger, even! How did you not care about them when you saw what you did?"

A beat.

"I did. More than I realized at the time. But I wasn't going to give you the pleasure of seeing that," Hans explained. His back straightened, whole outward persona changing. Slowly, he rose to his feet and faced them. He would've fooled them into believing that he was alright, his expression at ease and amicable, but his eyes were raw and red as if he spent hours crying prior. "I would've lost my composure, and I would run the risk of revealing more facets of me that would come back to bite me in the end. Then I had a few days of doing nothing but soul-searching, and here I am. And it's eating me up inside."

"Why are you so open all of a sudden?" Anna asked, though all the anger from earlier was no longer present. Elsa made no move to remind her sister about her promise of silence. Anna needed this as much as Rapunzel did, perhaps even more. Her sister needed the closure, since that was taken from her when Hans made his appearance again. Now that she was calm, it was a good time to let her little sister speak. "You've never let anyone know what's going around in that head of yours unless there's something in it for you."

"Maybe there _is_ something in it for me. Namely, a chance for everything to return to as it should be. But this time, I know that whatever happens, I won't like what's coming. I already started spilling information to you when I knew that just hiding what happened to me would make things worse. You might see me as insane, but I'm _not_ stupid.

"And now? After having those days of solitary confinement? I figured, why keep hiding _anything?_ Before, I used it as a way to control the situation, manipulate it in a way where it would suit me best. I was in denial, thinking that if I had at _least_ that bit of control, everything will be alright in the end.

"And yet, I know that I _don't_. How can I? I never did, even before this... _curse._ I was only fooling myself that manipulation meant that I was in control. I could never even _hope_ to have a say in what happened in my life. My brothers always did. I always had to plan around them, since they were the only ones immune to my attempts at manipulation. Sending me to Arendelle was an example of their control over my life. Yet, I always thought that they only sent me there to toss the unneeded sibling to delegate with a closed-off kingdom, which is nigh impossible.

"Greater still, even when I had everything falling into place, despite my plans going awry... I _still_ had no control. Fate didn't want me to rule Arendelle. How could I ever hope to compete against that? So yes, there is something in it for me, Princess Anna. As much as I loathe to say it, there is something I need from the three of you that I won't get by using old methods."

"Then why say all this like it doesn't bother you? You aren't fooling anyone." Anna crossed her arms, driving the point home.

"No, I only hoped to fool myself. I'm not doing a good job of it, I'll admit." He heaved a long sigh and turned his gaze to the wall to the right of him, breaking eye contact. He lifted his gaze and directed it to Elsa. "I thank you, Queen Elsa, in telling me their names." Then he clapped his hands together once and altered his mood to a more cheerful one. The façade didn't reach his eyes, Elsa noted. "So, have you decided?"

Throughout the exchange, Elsa almost forgot the whole reason for them being in the dungeon with him. This about-face in Hans' attitude hadn't prepared her – or anyone else, it seemed – for the confrontation. It was incredibly hard to keep track of, leaving her in a whirlwind of fake expressions and genuine words. At least, she _thought_ they were genuine, as far as she could tell.

"These are the terms of your voyage and stay in Arendelle," Elsa started. Why did she have to sound so formal? The terms could lead to someone's execution, even if the person deserved it. It seemed that she was taking an old page from her book. Conceal it, don't feel it.

Or maybe it was a page from Hans'?

No, no, she had nothing in common with that man. She crossed her arms to keep from fidgeting after the thought entered her mind. It was okay to feel sympathy, but not _too much_ sympathy, as Anna had reminded her not too long ago.

"On the boat, you must be watched by at least four personnel and chained. Your... _tools_ must be stored in the cargo hold of the ship," she continued. Hans visibly reeled in hearing this, his eyes widening in fear, but he kept silent.

Yes, she was aware of the strange phenomenon that Hans felt between him and the scythe in particular, and would change that term accordingly if it became a problem. She only needed to do so as a precaution at first. After all, _no one_ knew what would happen if he had it in his sights or not. The only logical approach would be to keep it around somewhere close enough where that "tug" wouldn't get too much.

At least, that was her working theory. Even the _reason_ for bringing him to Arendelle was a theory.

Such was the privilege of one going on an expedition into the unknown, sadly. This scenario notwithstanding.

"As soon as we reach harbor, you will be sent to the dungeons in wait as we prepare for our sojourn to the mountains. While in the dungeons, as well as during the journey, you will continue to be accompanied by at least four guards," Elsa said. "Should you lose control of yourself, your limbs will be tied to each other and you will be bound to a post. Should you attack anyone, you will be executed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans replied. "Your terms are most generous and logical, and I will see to it that I will follow them to the best of my ability." He gave her a deep bow and nodded his head afterward. The way his eyebrows were knitted together in worry didn't sit well with Elsa. She hoped that his worry was misplaced, though.

"Good. I must send a letter to the Southern Isles of your... _condition._ "

"...You don't meant to tell them _everything,_ do you?"

"I must. They intended for you to stay in Corona. Since circumstances changed and that Arendelle is now the one responsible for carrying out your due punishment, they must be notified as such. Leaving out your new developments would make them suspicious, and would cause political scandal for a prince to experience a change of hands in such a way without proper notice. Whatever they make of the information about you and your curse, whether they believe it or not, is up to them. I will address it when the time comes."

Hans didn't seem to like her vague answer very much, but acquiesced and said no more. Elsa was glad, because, though she spent _days_ trying to come up with every possibility and every decision that could go wrong, there was still much more in this plan that she didn't have an answer to. Hans' brothers and their reactions was yet _another_ variable that she couldn't really plan for.

"In two days, we make our leave."

###

With all the ruckus that was thrown about since Hans' arrival in Corona, Anna was glad that there was finally time for the royals (including her beloved Kristoff) being able to relax and enjoy one another's company. It was her first time _ever_ being in another kingdom, experiencing foreign sights and smells. It was even better knowing that she was able to enjoy it with her sister and her fiancé.

It felt amazing to make friends with the king and queen of Corona, especially with Queen Rapunzel. The two found that they were both adventurous, fun-loving kindred spirits, though Rapunzel had a lot more grace than she herself had. It was a shame that their intended week-long stay ended up being a two-day visit, in essence.

The advice that the king and queen had given her and Kristoff about a relationship between a royal and commoner proved invaluable, and brought to light some insecurities that she never really noticed Kristoff even had. She always saw him as gruff, strong, and manly; but with a sensitive, protective, and nurturing side she also appreciated. Insecure? She never thought about it, but she was glad to have learned this about him. It would make their relationship stronger knowing that once these problems were overcome, they did this _together_. Neither one would be caught having to deal with their own problems alone.

Anna was also convinced that such advice could pertain to her relationship with her sister as well. There was no doubt that there were insecurities the two faced on a daily basis, and it was only relatively recently where the two even _considered_ it okay to spill one's worries to the other.

Wow, coming from a world with no companions to having two of the best people in the world being a part of her life was _complicated._ If there was one negative thing she would say about the change, it was that relationships were _hard._ But there was a whole _universe_ of good things she could say as well, and she couldn't _hope_ to list them all.

When their trip finally came to an end, she was hesitant to leave; it meant it was back to the same old routine. Still, she was quite happy about the good memories that were formed in Corona and almost nothing could wipe the smile off her face when she boarded the boat and shouted back promises to visit Corona again to a waving crowd.

Well, almost, since _Hans_ was coming with them.

She didn't like the inner conflict she was having regarding him. He was a terrible, _terrible_ man. He lied, betrayed, and left her to die. He tried to murder Elsa, all for the sake of gaining power. And yet, his brothers still held onto hope that he would change. They loved him, even when everyone else believed him to be a monster.

And that's what bothered her the most, since that was the _same_ _exact_ situation that she was in. Everyone saw Elsa as dangerous, as a monster. But Anna didn't listen to them and went to retrieve her sister anyway because she loved her. Loved her enough to risk _everything_.

Hans' brother, Klaus… He died doing the same thing. And maybe… _maybe_ that was the catalyst that sparked the transition in Hans. Maybe it was the only way to ever reach that psychotic brain of his, having to murder his own brother and realize that he loved that brother as well.

But he was a threat to everyone. He was a conniving little –

Yet he was changing, and no one deserved the torture he was experiencing.

But he was stubborn, and for all she knew, he somehow manipulated his way back to Arendelle.

Yet he was telling the truth! She saw that horrible display with her own eyes! How was that manipulation?

But it was Hans, and _of course_ he would do something like using the truth to bend people to his will.

… would he? It didn't look like he even had any will left, though.

If only Hans were a _smidgeon_ easier to figure out, she wouldn't have brought herself to confront him on their third day out at sea in the brig of the ship bringing them back to Arendelle.

"Elsa's saying you're being a headache and that you're refusing to eat like a big baby," Anna said, constantly trying to remind herself to not lose her temper.

"I doubt she said it in as many words," Hans said. "But yes."

Seeing that he wasn't rising to the occasion for another shouting match, Anna's mood lightened and she relaxed a bit. He was actually trying to act a bit more accommodating, which was a relief. Maybe this conversation might actually get her answers. The answers to _what_ , though, she hoped she would figure out.

"What, the food around here not good enough for you?" she teased, though not without a bit of malice in her voice.

"Actually, one's appetite is nonexistent when one has shackles on them." He shook the manacles around his wrists for emphasis.

"Looks like you're going to have to starve, since there's no _way_ we would remove those."

"I never hoped they'd get removed." He tilted his face toward the ground, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm getting the feeling that your reason for being here isn't to check up on why I refused to eat."

"Yup."

"And that you're withholding your true intents, just so that you would make me uncomfortable."

"Yup."

"And you're using one-word responses to irritate me, since I'm not getting any clues to what you want of me."

"Yup."

"Save it, Anna. I've played the irritating younger sibling act many times in the past. I grew up with twelve older brothers, remember?"

"Tell me about your brothers."

"What?" Hans visibly paled at this request. Anna nodded and sat on the floor, cross-legged with her elbows on her knees and hands supporting her head.

"If it's a long story, I've got nothing else to do. Come on, spill. Are they handsome? Oh, how many of them are already taken?" She batted her eyelashes good-naturedly. If Anna were completely honest, she really didn't have any ill-intent poking into Hans' past. She was just curious and needed to sate her need to try to see if he was manipulating everyone. And the way that Hans wasn't making any moves to upset her or prevent her prying, she found that making him uncomfortable was a bit amusing. The tiniest spark in his eyes suggested that the feeling was mutual. "Are you already an uncle?"

"I have… _had_ twelve older brothers. What kind of question is that? Of course I'm an uncle."

"Ooh, that would make you the crazy uncle of the family."

"I take offense to that."

"But you're also not denying it."

"Would you just – Okay, look. Why are you so interested in my family all of a sudden?"

"You want the truth?"

"Of course."

"They still love you after everything you've done. I'm just trying to figure out why. I mean, you've hinted at them being terrible to you in the past. So why now?"

"I'm not sure I can answer that."

"Because you can't? Or because you don't want to?"

"Because I'm not sure. They never hinted that they even _accepted_ that I was their brother. And then, when it seemed like I was going to either lose my head or swing on a rope by my neck, they claimed that they couldn't bring themselves to do it because they loved me too much, and regretted their treatment of me over the years."

"Really? There wasn't _anything_ that they did that showed them they loved you?"

Hans quieted for a moment, brows knitted together and lips pursed in contemplation. After a few moments, the creaking of the ship reminding them of their location, Hans replied, "Their attitudes changed slightly a few years ago, actually. After Mother and Father passed away. I guess all their attention to dote on our ailing parents was then directed to me. I was almost eighteen at the time. Already a man, but still considered a child that needed raising in their eyes. One without parental figures.

"I think they realized their mistakes when they saw how I was turning out. Of course, their change in treating me didn't happen all at once. Pieter was the one started it all, of course. He was always the overly-sensitive one. In hindsight, I guess he was also one who got a good portion of the maltreatment as well, since he was the oldest brother and didn't quite fulfill the traditional image of manhood."

"Being sensitive doesn't make you any less of a man. Actually, I think the world needs more men like that sometimes."

"The fact that he cannot have children because of a horse-riding accident, and that he doesn't have the eyes for women made it worse, regardless."

"Does that mean he has the eyes for men?"

"What? No! No. He doesn't have the eyes for _anyone._ Though that didn't stop the others from targeting his lack of certain masculine traits." He brought pinched fingers to the bridge of his nose, eyes closed in mild annoyance. The chains restraining him clinked at the movement. "Why are you even concerned in the first place? My brothers are terrible people."

"And so are you, but the difference there is that they've tried to fix things. Why haven't you?"

"You think that I haven't? I tried taking back what they stole from me in Arendelle."

"How? You said there was no way you were ever going to inherit the throne, that was already obvious. How did they take something from you that you never were going to have?"

"They took control away from me! I almost _had_ it, too! And if I succeeded, there was no way they were _ever_ going to take that from me again!" Hans spat, the tides of their conversation becoming more heated. Realizing this, Anna stood from her seated position and turned on her heel to leave.

"W-wait, don't leave!" Hans called after her in alarm.

"I think it's about time I did. It's obvious I'm wasting my time here," Anna said coldly. She hated sounding like that; it left a bitter taste in her mouth. But that's what he did to her back when she was literally turning to ice. What goes around, comes around, right? Besides, it wasn't like she was leaving him to die.

Well, at least it didn't seem like she was.

"Please, as much as I hate you, you're the only one who dared to have an actual conversation with me in months," Hans pleaded. Anna hesitated and didn't take any further steps to leave the brig. "If I were to be completely honest, it seems easier to fight the… 'voice' when there's another person to listen to."

Anna sighed and turned to face the prisoner, arms crossed in displeasure. On one hand, she _really_ didn't want to share company with him. On the other hand, it seemed that, for the safety of everyone else on the ship, it was more prudent to ignore her personal qualms against him and drive away whatever insanity that was bothering him. At least for a short while.

"Alright, I'll stay for a few more minutes. But if you so much as raise your voice again, I _swear_ that you'll be tied up. And that will be the end of it, okay? Mind you, the feeling of hate is mutual."

Hans nodded slowly and offered a small smile. Anna wanted to believe it wasn't genuine, but at the same time knew that when it came to Hans, sometimes believing something isn't quite the reality of it.

"That's quite alright. I never expected you to say otherwise," Hans said.


	5. Sympathies and Satisfaction

Hans despised his life right now. While some themes have remained the same: the lack of say of what happened in his life, the burning anger he felt towards his brothers, the fetid _hate_ and desire for revenge on the Arendellian royalty; it was now much, _much_ worse in comparison. Now, he had to accept the fact that he had _absolutely_ no control of anything, not even his own body when the time came, and the fact that underneath the anger he felt love towards his brothers.

And now he was desperate for human interaction coming from one of the very people he oh-so- _desperately_ wanted to kill. The somewhat-friendly attitude she was sharing to him was piercing through the storm of madness swirling in his mind and bubbling in his chest. Why, oh _why,_ did she have to be so innocent and positive? So genuine? Why hadn't anyone else, _anyone_ , been the one with courage enough to speak to him?

It was humiliating. He would never voice this out loud, but the little ray of sunshine that was Princess Anna of Arendelle seemed to be his only source of hope to combat the land trying to get a hold of his will. He might as well surrender to whatever whim the princess was having.

And acknowledging that fact drove the nail in his coffin that much deeper.

"You mean to say that King Pieter _really_ can't have children?" Anna asked after his retelling of the horse-riding incident that doomed his eldest brother. Her childish curiosity felt like burning poison pumped into his veins, but a beacon of light in his mind. Curse her.

"Yes, but that didn't stop him from becoming king. The next heir just won't be one of his own children," Hans explained.

"Wow, how's he taking it?"

"He hates children, so he didn't much care about it."

"Is that why he mistreated you?"

"It seemed to be the case. His attitude-change while I verged onto adulthood doesn't disperse that theory."

"And he isn't married?"

"No, and I pity the woman that would have to be tied to him for the rest of her life. There would be no love there."

"Are you _sure_ he doesn't like other men?"

"He says as much. Throughout his life, he never made it apparent that he felt any romantic urges. All the better, since it seems to keep him focused on the kingdom and not to those carnal desires."

"He's a good king, isn't he?"

"I guess he's a natural. It's to be expected, since he was groomed since birth to take the throne. He's still adjusting, though. Since his rule, he never sent a delegate to our allies, aside from sending me to Arendelle, thinking that the Southern Isles must acclimate to a new king so that they can follow his policies without questions about how he rules. It's certainly different than the harsh iron grip my father's policies tended to have. They all look to Pieter as if he would suddenly turn into my father, which isn't without reason, if one were to look at the rest of his family."

Hans hated how easy and casual it felt to talk about his family with Anna. Even at Elsa's coronation, the subject of his brothers came up naturally in conversation. It was probably her disarming nature that made him spill his schemes later on before locking her away to die. Because, as much as his whole upbringing told him not to trust anyone with personal information, Anna wouldn't harm anyone by turning whatever he said to her against him.

That is until recently, when she used Klaus' guilt to hurt him. He remembered her shock when she said such words to him, and his own surprise at hearing them come out of her mouth. All the better to remind him not to trust _anyone_ , even when he deemed it impossible for certain people to stab him in the back.

Even more so, since talking about his family was going to bring up more memories that he would rather not remember. He was making it visually obvious that talking about this made him uncomfortable, and since Anna made no effort to change the subject of their conversation, it was safe to assume that was her purpose to come down to his cell. The confusing, vile wretch she was.

Yet, here he was, talking about the most painful of subjects to someone who didn't care too much about his well-being. History was going to repeat itself.

"And what about Klaus? Why do you have a grudge against him? Wasn't he the one who sacrificed himself for your sake?" Anna asked. "I mean, it's either because he loved you a whole lot, or he did something terrible enough for that to happen."

Hans couldn't help but laugh at her assumptions. The sound didn't come out as strong as he hoped, though, a dark and broken-off chuckle that made Anna fidget where she sat. He panicked a bit at the thought that she was going to leave him alone to the voice, and continued, hoping his explanation would keep her there for a while longer.

"He was brother number ten who convinced numbers eleven and twelve to deny my existence. I think it was more out of guilt than anything. He kept thinking that he was the one at fault for pushing me to the limits of my sanity. The idiot."

"Don't call your brother that! He only did what he thought was right in the end!"

"And look what happened to him! Don't try to convince me that what he did was logical. He was a fool to believe that he could help me! He was _stupid,_ Princess Anna. One 'right' can't undo all the wrong!"

Shocked tears started to fall from Anna's eyes. Hans didn't understand why she was taking it so personal. It's not like he was calling _her_ actions stupid –

Oh. Oops.

He might as well have, since he now saw the similarities between Anna's choice to save her sister and Klaus' idiotic lack of self-preservation. The condemning look she gave him warned what her next choice of words would be. He did raise his voice at her, after all.

" _Guards!_ Tie this… this _fiend_ up! Make him think about what he's done!" Anna commanded, rising to her feet and pointing an accusatory finger at him. Hans stared at her defiantly, trying to hide the fear and shame he was experiencing. The four guards watching the exchange between him and the princess moved from their posts and made deft work wrangling him to the floor and binding him to a ring at the corner of his cell. Hans tested the new restraints, finding them effective at keeping his arms and legs from moving. Anna ran from the brig, hands covering her face as tears leaked from the gaps in her fingers.

He just _had_ to run his mouth. Beneath his cool exterior, he felt anger frothing towards the princess, adding this new development to the list of grievances he had towards the two sisters. Sensitive little Anna had somehow struck enough of his heartstrings for him to lose track of his words and their possible consequences.

Curse her.

###

Elsa was in the middle of talking with the ship's captain when Anna barged into the room, sobbing. The captain, seeing the distress the princess was in, bowed politely to the queen and left the two sisters alone.

"Anna, what happened?" Elsa asked, rushing to her sister's side and allowing her sibling to cry on her shoulder.

"Hans. We were talking and then he…" Anna sniffled. Elsa latched onto her sister even tighter upon hearing the name.

"Did he hurt you? Did he escape?"

"No! No, he just… Elsa, you don't think that me saving you was stupid, do you?" Anna shuddered in Elsa's embrace as she asked the question. Elsa's heart ached for her distressed sister.

"What? No! Of course not! What made you think that? Was it Hans?"

"Y-yes, but… Oh, Elsa! He has so many brothers that love him, how could he be so… so _mean?_ "

"Where is he?"

"He's still in his cell. I told the guards to tie him up."

"Good, that should teach him a lesson. Why were you speaking to him in the first place?"

"I needed to know, Elsa. I was wondering why his brothers still hold hope for him. They're wrong."

"You need to be more careful around him. We all do," Elsa sighed, loosening her hold on Anna when she saw her starting to calm down. "I don't want to see him hurt you again. Next time, I think it would be best if you brought me, or Kristoff if I happen to be too busy."

"Okay. Thanks, Elsa."

Anna gave a grateful hug and released Elsa. The two smiled at each other, Anna eliciting the occasional hiccup from her previous crying.

"I'm glad everyone was wrong about you, Elsa."

"I know. Me too."

"What do you mean? Everyone said you were dangerous! A…" Anna lowered her voice, reluctant to continue her thought. "A monster." Anna waved her hands in front of her, as if dismissing the statement. "B-but you aren't! You were just misunderstood, is all."

"Anna?" Elsa asked, clasping her hands together. She exhaled slowly, knowing that it was best to share her worries than to keep them hidden. It was apparent that she was starting to feel _too much_ sympathy for Hans, now that her sister brought to light the similarities that she had considered herself. "What if they were right? Would you still love me then?"

"Of course, Elsa! I would fight for you until my last breath if I had to! Though, I might have to be a bit more careful, since that would mean you're dangerous," Anna replied, a sheepish grin crossing her face.

"Why?"

"Because you're my sister, and that's what sisters do. C'mon, why're you bringing this up?" Anna laughed. She gasped as if she realized something, "Did Hans make you doubt me? That creep!"

"Anna, no. I'm just… doubting myself."

"Why? You're an amazing person, Elsa. Oh wait, is this that insecurity thing that Flynn and Rapunzel talked about?"

"I guess it is," Elsa laughed, recalling the advice that was given in their stay in Corona. She sighed, again. It seemed that this whole situation was sigh-worthy. "I just keep thinking about how similar this whole ordeal is compared to my coronation day. I keep seeing a bit of myself in Hans, and it's not healthy."

"Ew… you _relate_ to him?"

"I wish I didn't."

"That's cra – Well, you do bring up a good point. I mean, the whole reason why he upset me was that his brother sacrificed his life and Hans didn't seem at all grateful for it. Called his brother stupid for doing it. It just made me think about me and freezing on the fjord and then you turning around and calling _me_ stupid. N-not that you would ever do something like that! I'm just… It made me feel so _angry_ at him."

Anna rubbed a hand down the length of her face, grunting in mild frustration.

"Look at us, Elsa. It's like we're trying to compare ourselves with them, but the two of us have nothing in common with him and his brothers," Anna laughed awkwardly. "…right?"

"For our sakes, let's hope not," Elsa stated. "Because if the trolls don't have a solution for us, this is only going to get a lot harder."

###

The rest of the return voyage to Arendelle went without further incident. Ever since being tied up, Hans was force-fed his meals in denial of his previous wishes at the start of the trip. There were a few close-calls of him losing control of himself, but miraculously, each time he was able to keep himself together. Elsa learned that keeping the scythe where he could see it helped to anchor him (though not the bag of pixie dust, strangely), which both worried and relieved her. Worrying, because then it would be easier for him to lash out and kill, even if it was impossible as it would be in his current arrangement. Relieving, since she and everyone else knew a little bit more about Hans and the limits of his condition. Knowledge, however minute, while facing the unknown could only be a good thing, right?

The sooner this problem was fixed, the better off everyone will be, and the faster she could pretend that everything was normal again.

Her sister hadn't made anymore confrontations with the prince, since whatever answers Anna was seeking in meeting him the last time was found. Something about being an ungrateful brat and being blind to kindness, if Elsa's interpretation of her sister's long-winded rant about how much she hated Hans was correct. Aside from that one instance with Anna, no one else spoke to him throughout the voyage.

She feared for his sanity at learning this, since Anna did mention that Hans hadn't had a real conversation with another person in months. Even while she herself was locked in her own room, isolated, her parents would still speak to her every once in a while. Though, it was a miracle she didn't lose sight of her own sanity in the time between the loss of her parents and the coronation. It turned out she had a lot more self-will than she ever knew that she had, thinking back on it. Three years. She shivered at the memory.

Thank goodness the past was in the past.

She made her way to the brig as everyone else exited the boat, making sure to bring Anna and Kristoff with her. The prisoner was still effectively bound to the iron ring attached to the wall of his cell.

"Are you still in control of your faculties?" Elsa asked, a neutral expression masked on her face.

"As well as I'll ever be, Your Majesty," Hans monotoned, a slight tone of sarcasm and ire leaking through. Anna raised her hand as if to protest, but returned it to her side. Good, her sister was learning to control her rashness.

"I hope you've learned your lesson for upsetting the princess."

"One I won't soon forget, Your Majesty." The strain in his voice as he said this didn't ease the anxiety that started to bubble inside of her.

"I hoped as much." Elsa gestured to a guard and ordered, "Release the restraints." Then, she turned back to the prince. A flicker of surprise flashed across his face before he schooled his expression back to mild annoyance. "Remember our terms, Prince Hans. The bindings are only if you were to lose control of yourself. However, since you've shown that you can't watch your tongue, I've allowed Princess Anna's punishment stand as a lesson. Since we've now reached harbor and that you haven't had any further incident, you are to return to your previous chained restraints."

"I thank you, Your Majesty."

At that, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff left the brig and the ship altogether to a cheering crowd waiting for them at the docks. Elsa gave a graceful wave to her people, taking a deep, calming breath. They finally made it home. A few murmurs were elicited from the crowd when they saw a black-cloaked figure being escorted by guards behind them, chains rattling as the person walked. The hood was pulled up, so Elsa knew they couldn't possibly know who the person was underneath that cloak.

At least, until she would make a formal address to them later that day. She already worried about the speech she would give them. Too many things to do before they left for yet _another_ trip, leaving her people without a proper queen to care for the kingdom's welfare. However, if they were able to fare without her for a little over a month, a few more days wouldn't hurt.

They would understand, especially if she explained to them the situation. Hopefully. For now, she nodded to them and said that she would explain the prisoner later, and the crowd happily accepted the promise.

It was best to have Hans safely in the dungeon than in the open where an angry mob could easily form. She trusted her people to not come to such lengths while she was around, but still, it was better safe than sorry.

###

"And so, I will leave you for a few days as we journey towards the North Mountain to seek answers for this new threat that has arose. In the meantime, continue to bring your concerns to the Council," Elsa said, finishing her address to the citizens gathered in the courtyard. "I hope to return with good news, and I thank you all for your time." Elsa gave a single nod and walked away from the balcony, the crowd applauding their queen.

It was astounding how much they still put their faith in the monarchy, despite having been so separate from the people for years. Elsa couldn't have been more thankful for whatever powers-that-be that continued to make it so. The people handled the news of Hans' situation well, though not without a few protests that Elsa was able to assuage with more explanations quite easily. There was an ample amount of guards watching over him, anyway.

"So, when do we leave?" Anna asked, bouncing on her heels in excitement. "I mean, yeah, it's not going to be as fun since Hans is coming with us, but ignore him and it'll be another adventure! And I still get to spend it with you guys!" Anna grasped at Kristoff and Elsa, giving them a large embrace, hopping about all the while.

"Tomorrow, if things are going to schedule," Elsa said, giggling at her sister's antics. "So Kristoff, it's about a day's journey from here?"

"That's if we're walking there. By sleigh, it should take us a few hours. I do have to warn you, I don't know how long it might take us to fix… whatever this is," Kristoff replied, wrangling his arms from Anna and giving her a proper hug. Anna and Kristoff smiled at each other lovingly before releasing each other, and in turn, releasing Elsa.

"That's why we have a few days to spend there. Hopefully that would be enough time to fix this." Elsa sighed. There was one more thing that they needed to do. "I guess it's time to talk to the prisoner. Care to join me?"

Anna rolled her eyes, but nodded and smiled afterwards in agreement. Kristoff bit his lip and agreed as well.

"I'll try not to talk to him. But my offer still stands to punch him if he deserves it," Anna said as she tailed Elsa and Kristoff on the way to the castle's dungeon.

"Be my guest," Elsa said, hiding a small chuckle behind her hand.

###

Hans sat against the far wall of his prison cell, knocking the back of his head against the stone rhythmically. The land was grating on his nerves, as always, and it's urging was still manageable. Yet that didn't mean it wasn't getting tiring.

If only it would just _please_ stop. He knew the only way for that to happen was to sacrifice another soul, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. Or ever, if Queen Elsa had her way. He brought his chained hands to cover his face, still lightly thumping his head against the wall. The burning in his bosom wasn't helping matters either.

He remembered the close-calls on the ship, the fear he felt when he realized that he was slipping. It brought back the guilt he felt after killing Klaus and the three Coronians. William, Strauss, and Igor. He would never allow himself to forget their names.

If this was how guilt felt like after _actually_ killing innocent people (or relatively innocent, in Klaus' case), despite reassuring himself many times that the blame didn't fall on himself, he didn't want to know how much more he could handle if he were to carry out yet another sacrifice.

It was here, in the dank air of a dungeon in the very kingdom he wanted to claim for himself, where Hans finally allowed himself to grieve. For what, he wasn't quite sure. Nothing, everything; it didn't matter. He just knew that, as much as he denied that part of his human nature for _years_ , he felt guilt over his misdeeds, and that he lost what little he had left. All for the promise of power and revenge.

Oh, he won't deny to himself that he still wanted revenge. After all, he never forgave the queen and princess for soiling his last attempt at freedom, that he was so close he almost _tasted_ it, for it all to be ripped away by the calamity of events that transpired at the coronation. But now, he knew it was no longer for the sake of tying lose ends or for them to pay penance for their actions. It was just going to be a last-ditch effort to say to himself, _See? You could do it after all._

Now… Now he wasn't sure if he _could_ anymore. He didn't forget the small kindness they showed him, namely Elsa's constant mercies. Whether she did it out of guilt or if she really did care about whatever happened to him despite who he was, the mercy was there. The goodness as well. After all, she could have left him at the whim of the Coronian monarchy, never having the attempt to free him of his curse.

Or even on the boat when she could have easily left him to slowly go mad without the scythe close by, or left the restraints around him. Or even executed him immediately when his presence in Corona was known. No, she didn't do _any_ of the things his brothers would have done.

Would his brothers have done so, though? They flocked back to the castle after he returned from Arendelle as a traitor to an ally kingdom, leaving their families behind just so they would deal with him. At first, it seemed that they did so just so they could see him carry out his execution. But… the worry, the grief on their faces when they believed him slowly going mad. The anguish they shared when they hugged him back in the wheat field. They…

They loved him.

And he never got the chance to show them that he loved them back. There was no denying the feeling now. Despite _everything_ they did, and everything he did to them, they all loved each other.

"Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles, you are a fool," he said softly to himself as he sobbed into his arms resting on bent knees. _And for that, you don't deserve kindness. You had every chance to learn, and you threw it all away,_ he added internally.

The metallic clang of the cell door unlocking alerted him, bringing his gaze up to stare at his visitors: the queen, princess, and princess' beau; too weary to hide his emotions from them. They shifted their stances, clearly uncomfortable about the dreary atmosphere he set about the cell.

He dared the queen to look him in the eyes as he stared, hoping that she could read them to hear his inner turmoil as she explained the plans that were to happen tomorrow morning.

"We will leave at the break of dawn, so that we can make for most of the day to travel and find the solution to the land's anger," Elsa started.

 _I don't deserve your mercy. So why do you continue?_ Hans's eyes pleaded. Or at least, he hoped they were.

"The terms regarding your behavior still apply."

_I tried to kill you, make you into a fugitive in your own kingdom. Yet this is how you treat me. Why?_

"We will spend a few days with the trolls."

_Can't you see there's no hope for me?_

"And we will leave as soon as they have more answers regarding your condition."

Hans blinked rapidly in surprise, sobs ceasing, a spark of hope alight in his chest. He almost forgot about the trolls and the faint promise of a solution in his despair. He almost resumed crying at the feeling, but allowed a small laugh of gratitude escape his lips. His visitors looked at him in confusion upon hearing the sound, but he paid them no heed.

There was a chance where things would be normal again. Or, as normal as things could be, all things considered.

He might be able to reconcile with his siblings. Or finally get his act together. Maybe even let go of all the anger he harbored against the sisters and his brothers. He might finally be _free._

Or get executed without the threat of the land looming over everyone's heads.

Hans' spirit was almost crushed at the reminder of such a possibility.

No matter, in the end, he knew that it would be no less than he deserved. The punishment fit the crime, after all. He just hoped that he could, ultimately, reconcile with himself with the lost chances he had to turn his life around. Hopefully, he would die at least a _decent_ person. Or starting to be one.

First thing's first, he wanted – no, _needed –_ to show that change to the queen and princess. He was still angry at them, for sure, but it didn't mean that he would let it hinder his new lease on life. Anna would pose a problem, but Elsa seemed more promising. Maybe in acting kinder to them, they would reciprocate the gesture and make it easier to lift the want for revenge he harbored against them.

Maybe they would forgive him as well?

One look at Anna and Elsa, though, and the grievances against them still flickered across his mind, the desire to cut into them with his enchanted scythe still played in his imagination. This was going to be harder than he thought. Baby steps.

"I thank you, Queen Elsa. You have been most merciful and just in treating me," Hans said at last. He needed to state the facts, only say what he really felt. Don't fake it. "I hope to be able to return your graciousness in kind, one day."

Oops, that almost sounded a threat. He really needed to work on being genuine. Faking niceties came easy over years of use, it seemed that he forgot how to speak from the heart.

"N-not that I mean to do anything _bad_ in saying that," he stuttered, stumbling over his words. "I didn't mean for it to sound like a threat – I mean, not that you thought I was threatening you –"

The sudden punch colliding against his nose halted any further attempts to explain himself, dazing him. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Anna drawing back her fist, threatening another blow. Um, that went well? He quenched the flare of anger at the thought that she had punched him while he was unawares, _again_ , before he forgot his promise to himself to be a better person.

"Stop acting so awkward. It's scaring me," Anna said, lowering her fist at Elsa's and Kristoff's coaxing. "You're even harder to figure out when you do that."

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm just not used to expressing gratitude and meaning it."

"Yeah? You need to work on it more."

"Anna," Kristoff warned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What?"

"Don't make him angry. Remember the last time people went into his cell."

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

"You don't need to worry about that. I don't have my bag of dust with me," Han said, hoping to keep them from fearing him. Fear could easily make the situation worse. With Queen Elsa and her history with fear, he didn't want to soil any chances to fix things by becoming an ice sculpture at the next ball they would have.

"Who's to say you don't need the dust to kill us?" Kristoff pointed out.

"Look, I don't want to hurt any of you. I'm done with that. Sick of it, even."

"Yeah, says the same guy who acted like he didn't care after cutting down three people. And was completely ungrateful for all this brothers' attempts to smooth things over in their relationships. Sure," Anna bit, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Anna…" Elsa murmured, which brought Anna back to her senses and caused her to march out of the cell in a fit.

"You'll always be a monster, Hans! A monster doesn't change when all the attempts to fix them doesn't get through to their thick skull!" Anna called out as she stomped her way out of the dungeon. Kristoff looked back at the hallway outside, worried.

"But… they weren't wasted. I see that now," Hans whispered to himself as he stared at the stone floor.

"Then prove it, Prince Hans. Show everyone that you want to fix things. And maybe _then_ everyone's views of you will change," Kristoff said as he opened the cell door wider for the queen to pass through.

Elsa looked over her shoulder, about to leave, and said, "For everyone's sake, I hope you aren't the monster that everyone fears you are." She and Kristoff left the room without another word, the lock clanging into place.

Hans reprimanded himself for having the "noble" effort to be nice to Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. Really? _Nice?_ And not a fake nice either. If his first steps at trying to forgive the sisters were an indicator of what was to come, he knew it was going to be _impossible_ to ever do it. Absolutely uncharacteristic of him, and it pulled against the very nature of his persona.

But he will admit, it did leave a strange fuzzy feeling at the center of his chest. Was it… satisfaction? And it wasn't the kind of satisfaction he got when he knew he had a person at the palm of his hand. It was much more pleasant, and lasted longer than it normally would. The guilt from earlier also waned a bit.

Whatever it was, Hans knew that it was completely different from the pain radiating within him. It almost brought a real smile to his face.

Almost.

With his luck, things would only get worse.


	6. A Hopeless Case

With Kristoff as their guide, being that he knew every shortcut and safe path to their destination, they reached the valley where the trolls resided before noon. He mentioned that they could have made it there earlier if it weren't for all the people they had to bring, but he figured it didn't matter too much since he had Anna with him, and under much better circumstances since she wasn't at risk of dying this time. Maybe. The threat of Hans going psycho and killing everyone was still a possibility on the table.

The source of their troubles to even  _make_  the journey was strangely compliant, which was good, since Kristoff didn't want to regret his offer to bring Hans to his family any more than he already did. Which was  _quite a lot._  He almost regretted his first time helping out a person, but that would mean he regretted meeting Anna. If fate were to continue to be kind to him, maybe  _this_  act of selflessness would bring about another positive event to happen in his life.

If Hans were to continue to be easy-going, then he might actually start tolerating the idea of him. If Hans were  _really_  trying to change, Kristoff might actually give the guy a chance, even if the prince was able to fool him into leaving Anna under his "care" while Arendelle was frozen. After all, his family did say that people don't make the best of choices when they're distressed or mad. "True love brings out the best," they always said.

Hah, showing any bit of love towards Hans, though, that thought was enough to make him gag. Tolerate him, yes. Love? Absolutely not! Hopefully the man got just enough love from his brothers all the way back in the Southern Isles for his troll family's philosophy to blossom. If their words were true, the least he could do was stay back and let the "love magic" do its thing. It wasn't entirely his own idea, though, Sven being the one to point out that Kristoff was the only one who happened to have a cool head upon his shoulders regarding all of this. If Kristoff wouldn't laud Hans' choice to change, who would?

Kristoff dismounted the Sven-pulled sleigh carrying himself, Anna, and Elsa and walked to the clearing where his family rested. The horse-drawn cart dragging along the castle guards and Hans pulled alongside the sled. All passengers dismounted, following the ice-harvester. One of the guards kept the scythe and another carried the bag, while the other two gripped Hans' chains, making the end of their train.

"Granpabbie!" Kristoff called out to the round boulders encircled in the clearing. "We need to speak to you!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the prince jump in surprise when the boulders started to roll and unfurl to reveal forms of his family. Kristoff had to resist the urge to smirk at the reaction.

Even  _if_  the man wanted to change, it didn't mean he wasn't still dangerous. Making him mad by poking fun at him or jabbing thoughtless insults wouldn't end well for anyone. Hopefully Anna learned that soon.

Granpabbie made his way to the front of the crowd of trolls, a smile on his face. Kristoff knelt down to his level, allowing his cheeks to be pinched by various trolls. Especially by Bulda, his mother in all but blood. And species.

"We've been graced by your presence, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Granpabbie said with a bow. "I see that you are much more confident in your powers."

"I must thank all of you for that," Elsa said, gesturing to the trolls. "You helped remove all the guesswork in their limits."

Kristoff remembered the request to visit the trolls a few weeks after Elsa returned the summer weather. It was after a few  _hilarious_  mishaps of trying to learn how to control –  _not_ conceal – her powers that he urged her to seek out his family's wisdom regarding her powers. Ever since then, she had made great strides in their development. Astounding, even.

Though, Anna hadn't quite let Elsa live down that one time she wouldn't stop making ice sculptures whenever her sister so much as lifted a finger. One sculpture, in particular, depicted a certain disliked dignitary in unflattering caricature. Needless to say, Elsa and the dignitary were embarrassed to no end.

"And I see that our Kristoff continues to fare well with Princess Anna," Granpabbie said, a wide grin on his face.

"Yup! We sure do!" Anna said.

"I presume that he's your purpose for this visit?" the elderly troll said, gesturing to a chained-up Hans.

"This is Prince Hans," Kristoff introduced. He waved for the two guards leading Hans, who brought the man forward.

"Ah." Granpabbie scanned a cold gaze along the clearly uncomfortable prince. "So this is the one who almost killed the queen and princess."

"That would be me, sir," Hans said, his mouth in a straight line.

"Why have you brought him to us?"

"He kinda got some kind of curse put on him. We were hoping you guys could fix it," Kristoff explained.

"I'll see what I can do."

Granpabbie prodded at Hans to kneel to his level, who complied. The troll poked at Hans and murmured to himself, examining the man. Granpabbie gazed into his eyes and furrowed his brow. He stepped back and waved at Hans to stand back up.

"The curse has affected his heart. I cannot remove it. And even if his heart was not affected, it's been put there by very powerful magic that I've never removed before," Granpabbie said after his inspection. Hans' face fell at the news, jaw going slack in disappointment.

"But there must be some way! The land is angry with mankind, and we need to find a solution!" Elsa said, distressed.

"The… the  _land_  you say? How did he come across this curse in the first place?"

"It was placed there by a pixie," Hans explained. "So that I feel the land's anger."

"Oh my, this is much worse than I have ever imagined. Pixies rarely interfere with mortals. When they do, it usually precedes great catastrophe caused by their acts. And since it involves a magical realm under their care, they have taken it personally. Have they mentioned why the land was angry?"

"When Queen Elsa cast the land into winter during her coronation, it 'died,' according to the pixies. Since it wasn't ready for winter, it grew angry and now has a grudge against humanity. It calls for their sacrifice every once in a while now."

"And you've been tasked with carrying out those sacrifices. That would explain the strange phenomenon around the flow of magic for the past few months."

"You weren't aware this was happening?" Kristoff asked. He always thought his family were masters over magic. Surely they could have seen it coming.

"No. Ever since we trolls have cut off our ties with the land and allied ourselves to Fate, we haven't been able to commune with its wants for a long while now. Though… we might be able to speak to it, if Prince Hans is wiling to be a conduit."

"A conduit – You don't mean to let it  _possess_  me, do you?" Hans asked, stepping back in fear.

"Possession, a temporary limiting of your awareness, but our only way to see what it wants and intends, straight from the source. And if there was a sure way for it's anger towards mankind to finally be quenched, then you would indirectly be freed from your curse. There would be no pain nor anger to be felt."

Hesitation, then, "I will do it."

"Good. We must begin with seeing the full extent of the hex the pixie placed on you, so that we may find a link between her magic and the land's. Explain what you mean by that you feel the land's anger. You feel angry? Or some other indication?"

"It usually starts out with a small ache in my heart with the occasional voice in my head to kill the nearest person. It gets more intense from there."

"I won't lie to you, that's… very troubling. And have you given into that voice yet?"

"Yes."

"Oh no, I hope we're not too late." Granpabbie paced around, a hand scratching the bottom of his chin. "Is there any other phenomenon that we should take note of?"

"There's the scythe and that it comes to me when I… 'call' it."

"That's promising. That might actually be the link we're looking for. Can you demonstrate it for us so that we can observe the connection between it, you, and the land when it happens?"

"… do I have to?" Hans asked timidly.

"Unless you have anything else worth mentioning."

"There's the pixie dust she gave me." Hans pointed to the guard holding the sack.

"Hmm… interesting that it was given to you in such a large amount. Does it have the same tie to you as the scythe?"

"No."

"Is there anything else, then?"

"No."

"Then I must ask you to call the scythe for me."

Hans sighed, his shoulders drooping in resignation.

Hans stretched out a shaking, chained hand toward the scythe in the guard's grip. The staff twisted and yanked itself from the guard's hands and flew to the hand of its master. As soon as the handle was in Hans' grasp, he tossed the scythe aside haphazardly and crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees, shuddering violently.

If calling the scythe was that agonizing, Kristoff thought to himself, then it meant that Hans was absolutely  _not_  in control of himself when he murdered the guards and doctor if he didn't keel over when he moved the scythe like that the first time.

"Interesting. I hope you don't mind doing it a few more times throughout the day. We need our preparations to be precise if we are to be able to communicate with the land. We don't want to open up the channel to  _something else_  would we?"

Hans sighed and covered his face with his hands, and replied with a defeated voice, "No, I don't mind."

###

Elsa couldn't imagine how she would react if she were given grave news about her powers like Hans was, that no good would come out of them. Distraught, defeated; oh absolutely.  _Depressed,_  even. In hindsight, that's actually how she reacted even with the news given to her as a child. Her powers were dangerous, especially if fear got a hold on her. That was the only thing she latched onto during her very first meeting with the trolls. The only thing her parents latched onto, as well.

And that was with advice that belied that there was good in her powers. All she needed was proper control.

Hans' curse, however, had no good. It was a  _curse_  after all. An immortal magical consciousness bearing down on a mortal mind won't lead to a happy conclusion.

She knew that she shouldn't be wondering how Hans was feeling at that moment. She knew that she would then start connecting her own experiences with his, and she knew that doing so wouldn't end well. Instead of seeing her would-be murder going through all of this, she just might end up seeing herself.

Instead, she forced herself to only observe the strange ritual playing out before her in the clearing. Hans sat cross-legged in front of the crowd of trolls, their soft chants whispering through the forest. He sat still, his back straight and staring off into the distance.

Elsa glanced at the position of the sun. It was already sunset. The trolls were at it for  _hours_ , trying to establish a connection to communicate with the land. The guards tending to Hans' chains had to switch off periodically so they could relieve themselves. It was obvious that Hans didn't have that luxury. How painful would it be to sit still like that for the better portion of a day?

"One more time, I think we've got it now," Granpabbie said, waving to the scythe lying between him and the prince. Hans was as reluctant as every other time he was requested to call the item, but did it anyway. The act never failed to surprise Elsa, despite witnessing the event multiple times already. The way it was done… There was something sinister and unnatural about it.

Elsa expected Hans to drop the item and hiss in pain, just like every other instance.

Except he didn't this time. He grasped the scythe with two hands, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Limit the connection! Restrict his movement!" Granpabbie instructed the other trolls. Their chants changed, and fewer voices were heard. Elsa moved closer to where Anna and Kristoff were situated, enthralled by what was happening. "No one touch him!"

"You dare to speak to me after your betrayal?" Hans said. Though it wasn't Hans, Elsa realized. The cadence and tone were all wrong. They were listening to the land now. The very land that was around them, if Elsa understood correctly. She tried to bite back her fear. This was the being she made  _very_  furious with her recklessness, one that demanded the deaths of many innocent people.

"We did not betray you. You betrayed us," Grandpabbie said, calmly.

"How could the one who gave you your physical form from its own  _flesh_  betray you?"

"When you tossed us to the whims of the pixies. You always did favor the fairer ones most. Fate had more promising futures for us, so we took our chances and left."

"If you weren't of my own body and didn't have Fate's protection around you, I would have destroyed you ages ago."

"This is old talk. Why are you mad at humanity?"

Hans slowly turned his gaze to where Elsa sat with Anna and Kristoff. His eyes blazed with an ancient fury, but his face was completely blank, cowing Elsa further away from where he sat. He turned back to speak to Granpabbie. The land opened Hans' mouth to speak, "The mortal magician has killed me before my time. Humanity's shortcomings caused it, thus humanity must suffer its consequences."

"Is there anything we can do to appease you?"

"Only their deaths would appease me. I'm still waiting for the next sacrifice. It's been too long."

"Can't you find somewhere in your heart to forgive them? Mankind is too young for your anger."

A dark, vicious laugh escaped from Hans, a terrifying undertone reverberated with the sound.

"Forgiveness is a mortal concept. How shameful of you to forget that," the land replied. "This reaper of mine is too reluctant to follow my demands. It seems I will have to go through drastic measures to ensure a constant flow of souls for me to collect."

Another twisted laugh.

"It appears I must 'break him,' as the mortals call it," the land continued.

"No!" Elsa cried out, walking towards the possessed form of Hans. His empty expression jerked to Elsa. Elsa forced herself to continue, despite the tangible tension persuading her to keep silent. "Don't! Please! I'm the one who started all of this! You're vexation is with me!" Yes, Hans did terrible things in the past, but there was no way another person was going to take the fall for her own mistakes. She wanted to do what was good and right, after all.

"My ire is with mankind. I do not distinguish my feelings towards individuals."

"But, you're distinguishing with Hans in that you still want to use him! Why not make another exception?"

An insidious smile creased its way across Hans' face as the land replied, "He was a gift to me from the pixies. It would be a shame to put it to waste. However, I despise working with your people, and I hate having being brought to commune through one. As long as he serves his purpose, I won't interfere. But if he doesn't…" Another ominous laugh filled with foreboding. "I'll make sure there won't be a barrier in his way. No will, nor wall, shall stop him. And I  _will_  break him."

The connection they had with the land was severed, as evidenced by the sudden silence and Hans' body falling limp onto his back, the scythe falling from his loose grip. The encounter left the man unconscious, Elsa noted. She wondered how much of the confrontation he was aware of.

###

No force of nature would stop him, no force of nature will allow him to stop. No interference if he complied. "Barriers" would be removed, should he not.

The vague and contradictory terms of his arrangement swirled around Han's thoughts as his body was used as a connection between the land's magical consciousnes and the physical world. He had hoped to have no awareness of what was going on when the presence of the land filled his mind and used his body. It was as terrifying and painful as he thought it would be. He was glad that, once the land left his mind, he passed out. Because then, he could pretend that all that happened, and all that was said was a dream.

That is, until he woke up to a crowd of trolls hovering over his face.

"How long was I out?" Hans asked, taking in the rest of his surroundings. He was still in the clearing, the guards still tending to his shackles. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff had set up a small camp nearby with the other guards, asleep. He noticed that he was on a mat with his head resting on a pillow.

"Since the afternoon of yesterday. It's close to midnight now. We wanted to keep you here until we were sure there weren't any…  _residual_  effects of the spell we cast on you," Granpabbie answered. "Now that you've awoken, there is no longer a need for you here." Granpabbie walked to the slumbering forms in the encampment and roused them awake. The now-groggy people keyed into the conversation between Hans and Granpabbie.

"There's nothing else you can do about the curse?"

"Nothing. We no longer have our influence in the land since we've changed alignments."

"But what about the influences you do have? The land mentioned Fate. Can't you change mine?"

"Fate? Well, it's a fickle thing, and we don't have much sway in its intricacies, much like love. My people and I are allowed to work with it, understand it; but never to change it.  _That_  lies in the individual it affects. We can only serve as advisors to the possibilities."

The troll addressed all those around him, "Remember what the land has promised. Let it serve as a warning of what is so come. We cannot see what its plans are, but we know that a great many will fall victim to its anger. Do what all of you think you must do to prevent it. Since it's qualms are with mankind, unfortunately we cannot intervene like this again, nor can we, if it ever came to that."

"But Granpabbie, people will die!" Kristoff interjected. "We have no idea what we're doing, or if it's the right thing to do. We're not magical. Well,  _Elsa_  is, but she's born and raised human."

"Remember the lessons we've taught you, dear Kristoff. You, too, were born human. But you were also raised by trolls. Let both be your guiding light in this dark hour."

"But – but all the lessons you've taught me are about love, not fate! And even with that, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time when it comes to Anna."

"Love is a small facet of Fate, but a powerful force to change destiny. You have a good heart, Kristoff. A good heart and the power of love can dramatically change events, despite all the destructive forces around them. We can only hope that will be enough to prevent a calamity."

The elder troll gestured to Kristoff to bring him aside to speak to him privately.

###

Granpabbie took Kristoff's hand and patted it gently. He gestured for Kristoff to lean forward to whisper in his ear, "There is a lot of dark in him, so much so that I don't have much hope in this situation. However, there's a tiny glimmer of light I see in him. If you can figure out its source, you can help cultivate it. I know you see that in him, too. You always had a good head on your shoulders."

"But," Kristoff whispered back, ensuring those around him can't hear their conversation. "Why do we even have to help him? He's an evil man. Can't we just lock him away or execute him? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"No. Remember the land's promise. Locking him away will work for a time, but at some point a sacrifice must be made. Execution might bring the wrath of both the forces of the land and the pixies after humanity. It might, it might not. And even then, no one knows if they might curse  _another_  person to this fate. People will die, Kristoff, there is no avoiding that. A great number, too.

"But the calamity that must be prevented is whether or not he comes out of it with a good or evil heart. If he were to see the error of his ways, to change himself for what's right, he might find a solution that benefits the greater good. Damage control, so to speak. If not, I fear that the powers given to him and those working in his favor will corrupt any further chances for preventing needless killings."

"Can't you tell me more, then?"

"I cannot. The trolls and I have done as much as we can without contending even more between the land and Fate. While our allegiances is freed on a spiritual level, our bodies still are stuck with the land. Doing any more will sever the two forever. We have to remain as neutral as we can in our choices."

"You mean… you'll die if you continue to help us?"

"In a way, yes. We aren't truly mortal like you."

"I don't understand."

"It's very hard to explain the intricate nature of magic. It defies all logic and understanding. There are rules and restrictions that make sense. There are those that don't. All that you must worry about is that we cannot interfere in this any longer. Of course, you may visit as you always do, but you must avoid seeking our counsel regarding Hans, the land, or his fate."

"A-alright, Granpabbie. I'll try to do my best."

"That's our beloved Kristoff." Granpabbie pinched Kristoff's cheek, causing the ice harvester to smile in embarrassment. The troll turned to the rest of their visitors and gave them a wave. "I bid you all a farewell."

###

They arrived back at the castle before dawn broke, the kingdom still in slumber. Hans was sent directly to his cell in the dungeon.

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa were convened in the castle's meeting room, usually reserved for Elsa and the dignitaries. However, given that the dignitaries were asleep and that there was ample space for Anna to pace around as their meeting went on, it seemed the best place to discuss their further actions regarding Hans.

"What are we going to do about him? We can't stop him from killing people," Kristoff pointed out.

"We can if we just execute him. Why is this even an issue? That was the punishment he was going to face back at the Southern Isles. Forget his brothers' hopes for fixing their relationship. We know it's a lost cause at this point," Anna argued.

"We can't, Anna. Granpabbie warned me that there might be worse consequences if we execute him."

"And what would that be? I mean, he'll at least be getting what he deserves."

"For starters, what makes you think the pixies wouldn't choose another victim for their chaos?"

"…Oh. Right."

"From what I've heard, they're pretty happy with choosing Hans. So let's just leave their first choice as their only choice for now."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Kristoff?" Elsa asked.

"Granpabbie suggested that we make him into a good person. Hans seems like a guy who comes up with pretty creative solutions, and is very adaptable. Imagine what might happen if we turned his evil motives around."

"Hans?  _Good?_  Do you know how silly that sounds right now? Not to mention  _impossible?_ " Anna retorted, hands waving around dramatically. "The guy spent his whole life hating a lot of people, and has some serious grudge issues. I mean, he's aware that his brothers feel absolutely guilty and repentant about what they've done, and they're trying their hardest to do what's right. And he has the nerve to call them idiots and spite them even after they spared his life? There's no way he would ever change! Like your family said, Kristoff, people don't really change."

"No they don't, but they make bad decisions when they're upset. And it sounds like Hans has quite a lot to be upset about."

"Really? You're taking his side all of a sudden? He left me to die, Kristoff! He almost got away with executing Elsa and chopping her head off."

"I'm not taking  _his_  side. He's a jerk, and nothing excuses what he did.  _I_  don't even forgive him. But are we really going to let this cloud our judgment? Are we really going to drive him crazy and risk more people to die?"

Kristoff loved Anna to bits, there was no denying that. It hurt him to have to argue with her like this, knowing that his choices in the matter would hurt her feelings and faith in him. He didn't want that. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to just do away with Hans and get it all over with.

But he knew he couldn't. He liked to believe himself a good person, and he knew that taking the easy way could very well doom another poor sap. It could also be much worse. Instead of having the new "reaper" under the custody of well-meaning people, they might roam free and leave destruction in their wake. If only Anna could see his reasoning. Sadly, his beloved Anna didn't quite have a grasp on rationality and was easily swayed by emotion. It had their purposes, yes, since it made her more prone to courageous acts and odds-defying positivity. The world definitely needed more people like Anna.

However, her irrationality was a hindrance in this moment.

"Anna, I think you need to sit and think about this," Elsa suggested. Anna huffed, crossed her arms, and plopped herself into the nearest chair. Anna blew a wayward strand of hair away from her face. "This isn't a normal situation. I'm sorry that justice won't be served regarding his attempted regicide. I'm sorry that you won't get any closure for what he did. But sometimes what's right and what's just doesn't connect."

"How does that make any sense, Elsa?" Anna said, her voice strained.

"Mercy is like that, Anna. If the law calls for death, but you see that the right thing to do is spare them since good can come out of it, wouldn't you do it?"

"In a heartbeat."

"That's mercy, Anna: the law says one thing, but the right thing is to go against it."

"Maybe that's something that Hans had never experienced, except with you, Queen Elsa. Maybe that's all he needed for him to want to change," Kristoff said. Maybe Elsa was the source of that little spark of light Granpabbie told him about? "Or at least seem like he wants to."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Anna grumbled. "Just so you know, I'll go with whatever you guys want to do, but I won't like it."

"Are you sure? This plan isn't going to work if you're going to get him tied up whenever he gets upset."

Anna huffed again and closed her eyes, "Yes. I'm sure. Elsa, you're gonna have to freeze him if he ends up attacking anyone."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Kristoff said.

"Agreed," Elsa said. "I don't like this idea either, but I can't see any other option. The least we can do is give it a chance."

"Now, where's my favorite ball of sunshine?" Kristoff teased, rubbing Anna's shoulder. Anna laughed at this and playfully pushed his hand away.

###

"You mean to tell me you're  _not_  going to execute me?" Hans questioned, eyebrows raised. When Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa visited his cell – Why did they insist on continuing to do that? – he was expecting them to tell him his last rights and the date when the punishment would take place. The land's reluctance to give up its grudge against humanity had sealed the deal, so to speak. What other solution could they have possibly come up with other than execution?

"No. We're going to give you a chance to fulfill your desires to change. Can't do that when you're dead, right?" Kristoff said.

"But you heard what the land said. Keeping me around will just end up in destruction."

"Yes, but the least we can do is give you an opportunity to use that brain of yours to come up with a better idea. I mean, killing you risks a whole lot more than we'd know. Surely a man of your wit can come up with a way to kill people for the greater good, as sick as that might be."

"Unless there's a war happening, I don't think you'd like my other ideas."

"Enlighten us, then. If it's not too far-fetched, we might even consider them."

Ideas were something Hans was familiar with, of course, but they were all only talk if there wasn't a person around willing to act on them. He knew he should have been worried when he brought up the most logical idea he could come up with on the spot, since it was actually very disturbing for normal people.

Then again, Hans knew he would never be considered a "normal person," curse notwithstanding.

"With all this thinking about execution, why not make me an executioner? That way, only the people who deserve it will die," Hans said after a bit of consideration.

"That… actually might work, as grim as it is," Kristoff said scratching his chin in thought.

"Wait, wait, wait… You somehow get out of your own execution, so you could execute other people?" Anna asked in protest. She shuffled with angry steps to where Hans sat on his cot in the cell, pointing a threatening finger at him. "I have no idea what you're trying to pull, but I'm not liking it. I don't know  _why_  everyone is so set on thinking that you're wanting to be a better person. I don't know what mind-tricks you pulled on Kristoff and Elsa for that to happen. Is this some power thing the pixie gave you? Huh?"

"Anna, wait," Elsa said, reaching out to calm her sister.

"No! I've had it trying to bite my tongue around him. Why do we have to keep walking on tiptoes?  _He_  should be the one who should be careful since we're the ones deciding his punishment. I mean, he did manipulate people before, right? He fooled the  _entire_  kingdom into trusting him! What makes you think he's not doing that right now?"

"Anna, the trolls said that –" Kristoff started. Anna whirled to him and crossed her arms, silencing him.

"Don't they see that he's hopeless? That there isn't anything good in him? He doesn't  _want_  to change!"

"Don't talk like I'm not right here," Hans said, mimicking her crossed arms and glaring at her in defiance. "And don't assume to know my intentions."

"Well then  _tell_  us your intentions! Otherwise that's  _all_  we can do: assume! Just like we  _assumed_  you were a decent person back at the coronation, since there was nothing horrible about you to base your intentions on. Now that we know of your treachery,  _that's_  all we have to work with! Actions speak louder than words, after all!"

"At this point, it would be futile to even tell you. If all you're going to do is see me as some irredeemable ne'er-do-well, even telling you the truth wouldn't suffice if it doesn't fit your image of me. So fine! You want to know my intentions?" Hans spat. Oh, he knew he was going to regret this, very much so. But she just made him so  _frustrated_.

He already accepted the likelihood that he would die with this curse still affecting him, that everything he did throughout his life was pointless and was now without any evidence he did anything about it.

Anna was just so physically close to him, it would be easy to wrap his chains around her throat and strangle her.

Hilarious, since she constantly claimed him to be dangerous (rightfully so), yet she continued to lack enough self-preservation and observational skills to know how  _easy_  it was to just kill her outright. However, giving into violent impulses was more along brother-number-four's specialty. Hans was more akin to the little snake that dripped venom into his words in anger.

"I have every intention to kill both you and Queen Elsa," Hans hissed, forcing as much bitterness as he could into his voice. "The hatred you feel towards me is multiplied tenfold when I even so much as  _think_  about you and your freak-of-nature of a sister. I have  _no_  intentions to change. I intend for all of this kingdom to suffer at whatever the land and the pixies have in store at my lack of action. And I intend to be the last one laughing at the ashes this kingdom will leave behind. So yes, Princess Anna, just as you said the other day: I  _am_  a monster."

The three gathered before him stepped back in fear. Anna's eyes were opened enough where Hans could see the whites all around her irises. Seeing their reactions just from mere words were enough for him to feel a satisfied smirk pull at the corners of his mouth.

After their less-than-graceful hasty exit from his cell, Hans' smirk fell from his face and he slumped over to cover his face with his hands.

He didn't know what to do anymore. Where was that strange, light feeling from the night he first arrived a prisoner in Arendelle? He'd prefer that over the sick feeling he felt at the pit of his stomach. Guilt. Yes, that's what it was. He would never get used to it.

Well, what else did he expect in saying it? They were words meant to hurt and strike fear, and he got the intended result. There was no point in arguing with Anna, yet he did it anyway. He  _knew_  he was going to feel guilty about it. But if he hadn't, Anna would just continue in her asinine ramblings and continue to poke at his waning patience.

Yes, before he would have just let all the anger simmer and come up with a plan to turn all her words against her. He didn't have that luxury anymore. The land, despite being an incredibly ancient being, had surprisingly less patience than young, mortal Hans. In fact, the whole curse was forcing him to change his entire character, change the very essence that was Prince Hans Westergaard.

Hah, and he still had his birthright through all of this. A miracle or a mockery, he wasn't sure what to make of it anymore.

After the whole ordeal with communing with the land, he knew how hopeless everything was. He saw it in the old troll's eyes, when the troll regarded him about the curse. There was little hope for him.

But… where was that promise to be a better person? Didn't the troll see at least a bit of that? Or was it too late for him?

"Oh lookie here! Our favorite mortal champion, stuck in a cell, hopeless," a tiny voice mocked beside him.

He knew it was too good to be true when the pixie said she wouldn't be around after Klaus' death.


	7. By Which Complications Arose

"What do you want from me this time?" Hans grumbled. The pixie chuckled and landed on his shoulder. She lounged against the base of his neck.

"Remember what I said before, it's not what  _I_  want," the pixie replied.

"Let me rephrase that, then. What are you going to do to me? Haven't you had enough fun with wrecking my life yet?"

"Oh, you wound me,  _mon ami_. I just want to help you with your  _raison d'être_ , so to speak."

"If you're going to give me another curse, no thank you."

"A curse!" The pixie laughed as if she couldn't believe his phrasing. "Is that what you've come to call all the power I've given you? You wanted revenge, no?"

"I  _wanted_  revenge. After all you've done, I don't even know what I want anymore. Revenge? Power? Control? It all means nothing if I'm going to spend the rest of my life like  _this._ " Hans yanked at the chains binding him, the metal screeching when its limits were strained at the movement. He dropped the links in frustration.

"Ah, you've only brought this upon yourself. No matter, my prince. That's why I'm here. My fellow pixies and I grow bored of you wallowing in your emotions in prison. While it would be more prudent to find another person, the land has taken a strange shining to you."

"Hah, that's  _comforting_  to know," Hans said, sarcasm laced in his voice. He sagged his shoulders, heaving a long sigh. "I might not have long before I start worrying the guards into thinking I've gone mad, so get to the point,  _pixie._ If you're  _really_  here just for what I want, then I want out of this deal."

"No can do. I've never seen the land so  _satisfied_  after your sacrifices. It's absolutely delectable! The magic realm hasn't seen such clarity of power flowing around even  _before_  the freezing of Arendelle. It would be illogical for me to pull the plug on this operation.

"However, we do really enjoy the idea you brought up to your captors. Think of how wonderful it would be for the people of Arendelle to know that one of their own executioners was the very same person who went to great lengths to take over their kingdom! Oh, irony, how I love thee. All I need to do is to influence a few people and we're good to go."

"No. The last time you 'influenced' someone to further your plans, one of my brothers ended up on the wrong side of the scythe. I'd rather be left to my own devices."

"Oh, but I won't use any magic this time. The queen's guilt would be so much more fun to toy with! How  _droll_ it would be to play with her emotions, garnering even more sympathy towards you and your well-being."

"You're wrong. She's just as cold in her emotions as her ice." That was a lie, obviously, but for some reason he wanted it to be true. It fit better in his image of how the world should be, since a cold and uncaring queen would be decisive. But she wasn't. Why was Queen Elsa so concerned about him? Why the special treatment? Is it all only due to her being a good person, or was there something else going on?

"But you  _did_  notice her treatment of you,  _n'est-ce pas_? You are, after all,  _very_  good at reading people. As a master manipulator, how can you not? You only say such things because they fit with your new fatalistic outlook on your situation."

Hans pursed his lips. The pixie called him out on his bluff. Wait, why was he bluffing for Queen Elsa? There was no love lost if Hans allowed her to make the queen miserable. Still, what the pixie said was probably true: Elsa's actions coincided with her feeling regret. Part of him didn't want for her to turn around and treat him as the criminal he should be. He was still a rather selfish person, after all.

Yet there was also that desire for justice ringing in his head. The opposing forces of "good" and "bad" warring within him only added to the confusion and lack of direction on what he wanted out of life. Hans was a sociopath, right? This shouldn't be able to bother him.

Except recent events have proved time and time again that moniker was a farce that he himself believed for quite a while.

The moral tug-of-war was getting out of hand. One side  _needed_  to win for the ambiguity of his destiny to clear, once and for all.

"Is that conscience of yours clouding your judgment,  _again?_ " the pixie interjected when Hans took too long to react. "Fine, since it seems that you're starting to embrace that foolish mortal idea, let me put it this way: Queen Elsa feels bad. I can talk to her, make things 'right' again in her eyes. Or at least help her try to."

"No. As I said before, I'll do that myself," Hans said.

"Ah, but I'm not asking permission. Your brief lapse of judgment earlier really put a hindrance on their susceptibility to do what you request. Do you really think you can recover from that one?"

"No."

"Now, just sit and wait while I warm the queen up for you. I'll make you the executioner of Arendelle in no time!"

The pixie fluttered away, disappearing into one of the cell walls.

Barely a moment after, Hans heard his cell door unlocking.

The cell door swung open to reveal that Kristoff had come to visit him so soon after his hasty retreat. Hans almost jumped from his cot in surprise when a sentient snowman waddled in behind Kristoff. He half expected Anna and Elsa to follow in behind them, but it seemed that it was going to be the three of them.

What was this man doing?

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head, mussing the blond locks as he cleared his throat. He brought up a hand as if to speak, then lowered it in indecision.

"You look like you want to say something. Do you want me to help?" the snowman said, shuffling his stubs for legs.

"Olaf, no. I only brought you here because Elsa said not to talk to him alone. Since they're both a bit upset right now, I didn't want to bother them. Please just… stay quiet," Kristoff said.

"Oh! Okay! I can do that!" the snowman, named Olaf apparently, said excitedly and held his twig-hands over his mouth. Kristoff sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're making this harder than it should be," Kristoff said to Hans.

"I wouldn't say it was such. The situation itself is quite difficult to handle. All I must do is adapt to it," Hans replied haughtily. He knew he was playing with fire being testy with Kristoff, but after his threats from earlier, Hans knew it was a lost cause trying to play nice. Old habits die hard, after all.

"Alright. Okay. Uh… I'm either the bravest or stupidest man ever for doing this, but… Can't we just start over?"

Hans raised an eyebrow, "I don't quite understand. 'Start over?'"

"I've done some thinking. Okay, a  _lot_  of thinking over the past few days. This whole…  _mess_  can't be dealt with properly if all of us keep holding grudges against everyone."

"And you want me to just let go of all my qualms against the royals of Arendelle."

"No, no, nonono, nothing to that extent. At least not yet. Look, you want to change, right?"

Hans nodded hesitantly, trying to find out if Kristoff had a hidden motive. Because if he did, the sooner he figured it out, the better.

"You  _really_  mean that?" Kristoff continued. "Because if you don't, there's a big chance you're not going to see next week."

"Yes, I mean it!" Hans growled, frustrated. "I don't know how else I can prove to any of you that my motives to change are without pretense. I'm going to have to live with the influence of these insane beings of magic for the rest of my life.

"Between the stress of murdering my brother and the Coronians, the land chipping at my resolve, the pixies wanting to 'experiment' with me, and the animosity I feel for you and those wretched sisters, not to mention the anger I've harbored against the rest of my siblings; I'm done! If who I was led to all of this crashing down on me, I don't want it anymore!"

Hans collapsed against the nearest wall, a surge of pain boring into the center of his chest, cascading its way to the rest of his body. He gasped and clamped his eyes shut, shuddering at the burning waves of torment. The land's voice in his head grew louder and harder to ignore.

Oh no, not  _now._

"Hey. Hey, easy there," Kristoff said, holding out his hands as if to calm him down.

"You should probably leave," Hans grit out.

"Kristoff!" Anna's voice called from outside the cell. She wrenched open the door and stomped her way in, not noticing the predicament the men were in. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to talk to this creep again!? He threatened everyone, remember?"

"Anna, we need to leave. Now," Kristoff said sternly, trying to push her out of the door.

"No, no, I'm not done with him yet!" Anna argued.

"Get. Out. Now!" Hans growled. He felt his control starting to slip. Realizing this, his eyes widened in fear and he pushed himself to the far reaches of the cell.

"Hey, you don't command me! You're the prisoner, remember?" Anna said, twisting her way out of Kristoff's reach.

Kristoff continued to try to wrangle Anna out the door, pleading for her to leave.

Seeing the trouble that was bound to happen, Olaf shoved the princess out of the cell. Kristoff took the opportunity to close the cell behind him.

"Kristoff! What are you doing?" Anna called from outside, her voice muffled.

"Trying to prevent another disaster. Just trust me, okay?" Kristoff called back.

"Don't worry Anna, Kristoff knows what he's doing," Olaf said. "…I think."

Kristoff turned to the shivering man in front of him while ignoring the protests of his fiancée. As long as he stayed as close to the door as possible, Hans wouldn't be able to reach him because of the chains. Well, then again, if Hans got a hold of the scythe, that might pose a problem.

He really hoped that there weren't any other "tricks" Hans could do with the scythe.

"Easy there, just… listen to my voice okay?" Kristoff said. Behind him, Hans could see the door move as Anna tried to push the door open again, but Kristoff was strong enough to keep it shut despite her efforts. "Stay with me here. Try not to give in. Am I helping any? Anna mentioned that talking to other people helped you fight the voice."

"I'm still here, right? Why do you bother helping me?"

"Honestly, I'm just trying to prevent whatever disaster my family warned me about. I don't like you, you don't like me. But we can both agree that you giving into whatever voice is in your head isn't what we want."

Hans nodded slowly in reply, jaw clenched in pain. He had to admit, Kristoff's company was having a similar effect to when Anna visited him in the ship's brig. However, Kristoff was a lot less antagonistic and impulsive as the princess. Speaking was going to be incredibly difficult with the protests of intense discomfort his body was screaming at him.

"If you don't mind, I'm not very much into small talk at the moment," Hans said.

"That's okay, I'll just ramble on and hopefully this'll pass. So… uh… Twelve brothers, right? Orphaned over here. Must be a nightmare trying to deal with all of them. I've always preferred to be alone, save for Sven, while I was growing up. My troll family has always been real overbearing. Were you a loner as well? You don't need to answer, I'm just speculating."

Hans could see that the man was on edge. Why did Kristoff insist on staying in here? Losing control was going to be inevitable. The way the ice harvester pressed himself against the door indicated that he knew this as well.

###

In the queen's bedroom, tiny snowflakes drifted around the monarch as she paced. Her hands wrung around each other in worry and her eyebrows were furrowed in thought.

Hans was right. Given the circumstances, making him the executioner would solve a lot of the problems with his curse. The land would be satisfied, criminals would get their punishment, and Hans wouldn't go crazy.

But what of her people? The injustices that the prince wrought against them were hardly forgiven. It would cause a stir in the kingdom if the man got away with attempted regicide. That just might shatter their well-built trust in the crown. They might doubt her ability to make wise decisions.

"I hope you don't intend for this little flurry to go outside of these walls," a small voice scolded beside Elsa. The queen whirled around to find its source and saw the tiny figure of a fluttering pixie hovering above her bed. It took Elsa all of her willpower to not react to her fear, or else her powers might actually get out of hand.

"The snow helps me to express my worry. They're harmless," Elsa responded. "Are you the pixie Prince Hans always talks about?"

"Yes, I am, Your Majesty," the pixie responded, a respectful bow bending her form. "Self-appointed magical-realm liaison Zsuria, at your service."

"Zsuria?"

"My name. Now, tell me, why are you so concerned for the prince? Hasn't he done enough crimes against you and your sister? Why not just execute him and get it over with? It's what he deserves, after all."

"Because everyone fears what the land and your people might do in retribution."

"Ah, an astute speculation. Quite right. If you did execute him as you could have chosen to do a while ago, we would have just destroyed your kingdom. I'm glad you chose for us to continue to use the prince as our plaything. He's most amusing to observe."

"I'm under the impression that I can't request for you to stop this nonsense."

"Oh absolutely not! As a steward of the magic in the land, I'm afraid I can't undo what has been done. The land does not forget what it's been given and taken. There's no need to rile it up with having yet another race to hold a grudge against. Least of all, my own race.

"You haven't quite addressed my first question, however. Why are you so concerned? If you were only doing what was fair and just, treating him as if he was a decent human being wouldn't happen. Are you feeling…  _guilty_ , milady?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. What of it?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me. We pixies have watched you as closely as we watched Prince Hans. The essences of magic naturally finding its way to a pure soul like yours has never been witnessed before. Fate  _adores_  you, and it sickens us. Then again, Fate adores all of humanity, as idiotic that is."

"Then why involve yourselves if you hate us?"

"What else is the best way to annoy Fate other than messing with the mortals it coddles? Now, back to the situation at hand. You're feeling guilty, don't deny it. I've also witnessed that you're seeing the parallels between Prince Hans' situation and your own with the events proceeding after your coronation. You don't want this to have an unhappy ending, do you? You were the one that caused this mess to begin with."

"Then why didn't you choose me to do the dirty work? I caused it, I should be the one punished for it."

"As I said before, Fate adores you. While Fate doesn't quite enjoy the work I do, Fate at least tolerates my existence. Causing Fate's favorite to suffer at the influence of the land? That would have war breaking out in the unseen realms. So, no. Not to mention that if we did, you would be so uncreative and unoriginal with how you would go about the sacrifices. There's no denying that Prince Hans is quite dubious in his plans, it would make things more interesting, would they not? Two birds with one stone is what I believe I told the prince about the plan.

"Now, what do you say? I know he scared you and your sister enough to prevent action. However, the land isn't so patient, you see. You'll have to make a choice, whether it is by your own timing or by the forces of nature. We don't want the latter to happen, do we?"

"No. But what of my people? Their faith in me and my rule would be shaken, I risk dissent in the masses, cries of conspiracy and corruption to allow a criminal to have a role in Arendelle's lawful judgments."

"No action is without consequence, my queen. Choose between the wrath of the forces unseen, or the wrath of the people you love. Either way, there's no escaping this. Though I do suggest you choose right now. I sense that our pet prisoner is having a bit of an…  _episode._ If I may make a recommendation, there's a pirate waiting for his punishment, if I'm not mistaken."

Zsuria cackled as she disappeared out of the bedroom's open window, leaving Elsa to consider the warning the pixie left her with.

"Elsa! Elsa, you need to come to the dungeon!" Anna exclaimed as she swung open the door. Elsa felt the pit of her stomach bottom out in dread.

"What happened?" Elsa asked. With the pixie's warning, Elsa already knew what was going on. Hans had lost control of himself again.

"Kristoff, he went into the cell and he won't let anyone in!"

"Cell? Whose cell? Please don't tell me it's –"

"It is! It is! Elsa! I don't know what to do! The guards can't push the door open. He won't listen to me. Please, we need your help!"

###

When Elsa made her way into the dungeon with Anna in tow, she saw a group of guards pushing open the door with Olaf cheering them on.

"Why isn't the door unlocked?" Elsa asked the straining guards.

"It is, Your Majesty. Mister Kristoff is much stronger than he looks," one of the guards responded, taking a break from his efforts and wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Kristoff! Open the door!" Elsa commanded.

"That's not a good idea at the moment. He's… not all there," the muffled voice of Kristoff sounded from the other side of the door.

"All the more reason to get out of there!"

"But… we can't just leave him like this!" Kristoff pleaded desperately.

A furious yell could be heard from inside the cell. Hans'.

"Kristoff!" Anna cried. "Please!"

"I'm not coming out until whatever's happening is over!"

The only way for this to stop was another sacrifice. Was Zsuria talking about the bloodthirsty pirate that was arrested two months ago? He was sentenced to be executed in a month.

Oh.

She could already hear the whispers people would say when yet another criminal's punishment wouldn't be carried out as planned. Murmurs of scandal.

 _Arendelle, please understand that this is for the greater good,_  Elsa pleaded in her mind.

"Bring the pirate," Elsa instructed.  _Don't feel, not yet._  There would be plenty of time to do so later. "Send him to this cell immediately."

The guards left the door's side without question and brought the other prisoner before the queen.

"Kristoff, open the door. I have a…" Elsa hesitated, hating herself for throwing away another human's life so easily. "…sacrifice."

Slowly, the man opened the door wide enough for him to escape. He exchanged an apologetic look to the queen and the pirate before shoving the latter into the cell. With a single motion, he yanked the scythe and satchel from where they rested against the wall and tossed them inside with the two criminals. Kristoff slammed the door shut.

There were sounds of a scuffle, expletives coming from the pirate and crazed yells coming from Hans. Finally, an anguished cry erupted followed by silence.

"Do not enter that cell until tomorrow, is this understood?" Elsa said, putting on the façade of the distant queen she rarely wore. She turned to Anna and Kristoff before continuing, "That goes for you two as well. No word of this will reach anyone else. I will speak to the people on the morrow."

"Yes ma'am," Anna responded, shaking as she clutched Kristoff's arm.

"Yes, Queen Elsa," Kristoff said wearily.

"What just happened?" Olaf asked, bewilderment painted on his face.

"It's hard to explain. Just… know that it's something really bad. Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

###

Oh God, what had he  _done?_

Hans remembered the ice harvester being in the cell with him, trying to calm him down. But the voice and the  _pain_ … they got too much. He slipped. He tried so hard to resist, but it still wasn't good enough. If it weren't for Kristoff, he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did. It seemed even the ice harvester's efforts were for naught as well.

In the dim light of the cell, Hans saw the shadowy lumbering form of a man, unmoving. The sickeningly reassuring weight of the scythe rested in his grasp. His spirit was at ease from the recent sacrifice, but his soul felt heavy with the guilt of having yet another victim to his curse.

The only other person in the room with him before he lost control was…

Oh no, not Kristoff. Another innocent man, dead by his own hand. Another white soul disconnected from its body forever.

Kristoff's soul likely glowed as white and bright as the guard's the night he met the pixie before delivering the killing stroke. Hans briefly wondered what color his own would be.

Black, most likely. How despicable.

Another person who was concerned for his well-being, and he went out and killed him.

Disgusted, he tossed aside the scythe, its handle landing on top the bag of dust, causing a few sparkles to fly out of its opening. In a sudden fit of passion, Hans took the bag from the floor and tossed it against a wall, spilling all of its contents onto the floor at his feet.

How can something so glittery and "happy-looking" cause so much misery?

"You…  _imbecile,_ " the pixie said, popping out of nowhere in front of him. Her face was contorted into ferocity. "Is this how you're going to treat the gifts I gave you?"

"Just leave me alone. I did what was required of me," Hans said.

"Oh you  _wretched_ excuse for – No, you need to be put in your place for this. Did you even stop to think how you would even  _continue_  to harvest souls for the land after this stunt?" The pixie's face changed back into a playful expression, but now with an undertone of malice. "I didn't want to do this in the beginning, since it would further complicate matters… but you've forced my hand. 'Touch of death' it is, then."

The pixie waved her hands, red light trails streaming around the movements. Hans stepped back in surprise and fear, knowing that she was going to cast another hex on him. With a flick of her wrist, the red light flew from her fingers and made contact with Hans' hands, seeping into the skin.

The pixie growled out, "I  _curse_  you, Prince Hans. In substitution of the gift I have given you, from this day forward, whoever you touch with these hands will experience torment. I don't much care for you after such a display of disrespect for my magic, so heed my words carefully: You want me out of this arrangement?  _Fine._  Be ungrateful for what I've done for you. I will no longer meddle with mortal affairs henceforth. I leave you to the hands of Fate and the land.

"And don't think about heading to those good-for-nothing  _trolls_  for a cure for this curse. This is irrevocable, for  _I_  am the  _only_   _one_  who can remove it. Since I will no longer play a role in your life from now on, you will learn to live with this for the rest of your miserable existence.

"It's no wonder the other pixies refused to have the job of being your steward. As interesting as you are for a mortal, you obviously lack any hint of gratitude for all that I've done. The pixies might find you still useful and entertaining, but as for me? I'm through with you."

The pixie crossed her arms and was about to flutter away before Hans interjected.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to do it. I was just so frustrated and –"

"No. Are you seriously begging for forgiveness? Foolish of you to forget that forgiveness is a mortal concept."

"Then can't you give me any more information regarding the curse?"

The pixie cackled hysterically, "Absolutely  _not_. Figure it out on your own. I bid you  _adieu._ " The pixie saluted and disappeared into thin air.

Hans looked at his hands, trembling from the combined stressors of the past few weeks. His eyes drifted to the body in his cell.

A part of him was in denial that the man was really dead, wanting to believe that if he were to wait long enough, he would wake up.

But that wasn't the case. He killed Kristoff. Hans was absolutely going to be executed.

He leaned against a wall and slid to the floor, the pixie dust he spilled had long disappeared into the ether. His attention returned to his hands, fearful of the added curse upon him, of what new complications would arise from it.

Hans couldn't bear to move the corpse. He knew that he was probably giving into his denial when something about the body seemed off. It was too dark in the cell, so of course his eyes would play tricks on him, that his eyes wanted to believe that the dead person he was sharing company with wasn't Kristoff.

At the very least, it seemed that he would be alone with his own thoughts without the land bearing down on him for a while.

Good. Enough time to wallow in self-pity and regret. This time without the intrusion of a certain nefarious pixie from now on.

Hans never thought that would be as ominous-sounding as it had ended up being.


	8. Facing Judgment

"But it was working so well!" Kristoff said as he finished his explanation for visiting Hans to the sisters. "He seriously acted like he wanted to avoid hurting me. Does that sound like a vengeful murderer to you?"

"Remind us again,  _why_  did you think it was a good idea to be there in the first place!? You knew he was dangerous!" Anna argued.

Kristoff sighed. He  _really_ didn't want to strain his relationship with Anna, but now, it was necessary. The princess was being completely irrational. Even after explaining the logic behind the choice to develop Hans' character into a better one, she was still reacting purely on emotion.

Kristoff was never very good at emotional stuff. He was a "manly man" after all.

"Queen Elsa could be dangerous, but there is good in her. You saw it, right? That's why you went after her, even when everyone else said it wasn't a good idea. Even after  _I_  said that it wasn't a good idea," Kristoff said.

"But  _Hans_  is different! Don't try to compare  _him_  with Elsa!"

"You're not getting it! What if  _I_  can see good in him? No one else sees it, so how in the world is he going to change if no one is going to encourage it? That everyone keeps seeing the negative image they've built around him? Everyone else is saying it's a bad idea, but it's the only idea that we have at the moment."

"I agree with Kristoff," Elsa said, confidently. "About everything. I could be dangerous, Hans could be dangerous. All I needed was to understand my own abilities so that I can control them properly. We know barely anything about Hans', but we know that the only way to control it is for us to follow the land's demands. It's for the good of everyone. Why can't you see that?"

"I just… I'm scared that he'll hurt me again. I know that you guys want to do what's right for the kingdom but…" Anna said, tears threatening to fall onto her cheeks. "I'm  _terrified_  that if I start to form any sort of trust in him again, he'll betray me." Anna collapsed to her knees and began to sob. "I don't want it to happen again. I don't want him to destroy everything again. I'm… I'm  _scared_ , Elsa."

Kristoff fell to the floor beside Anna, wrapping her into an embrace. Elsa followed suit and joined in comforting the weeping princess.

He finally,  _finally_  understood his fiancée's irrationality. She was scared, and had every reason to be. Once bitten, twice shy, right? Fear made people either flee, as in Elsa's case; or it made them combative. It appeared that Anna filled more into the latter category.

"We would never let him hurt you," Kristoff said. "You just need to trust us."

###

Hans hadn't moved a muscle from where he sat against the wall. He kept staring at this hands, half-expecting them to form a mind of their own. As preposterous an idea that would be, but given the circumstances, it was not completely without reason.

What new burden had the pixie placed on him this time? That whomever he touched would be tormented? What had she meant by "touch of death?" Would people really die just from coming into contact with him? Was there a way to work around this? Was there a loophole?

Hans almost berated himself for trying to find a way around the situation. Leave it to him to try to twist words around for his own benefit. Some things just never change.

He placed a hand over his heart, almost wishing the land to torment him again so he would have other things to focus on.  _Almost_  being the key word, of course.

He gasped aloud when he felt a twisting pang exploding across his chest. Something about the pain this time wasn't right. The lack of  _otherness_  in his mind wasn't present. It felt like he was being torn apart, not like the  _tug_  he felt towards the scythe either.

The pixie couldn't have been so cruel to make it that he wasn't immune to his  _own_  curse, would she?

To his horror, more flares of agony erupted throughout his body, causing him to fall the rest of the way to the floor onto his side, curling in on himself. A faint wisp of gray floated about him, then cascading into an ethereal covering around his form. It reminded him so much of what happened to Klaus that Hans had no question of what was happening. It was just as torturous as he thought having his soul separating from his body would be. Grey-colored? How sadly unsurprising.

Apparently the pixie wouldn't be above such cruelty in his curse.

Hans tried to keep his hands away from himself, completely fearful of them.

The torment lasted for what seemed an eternity. He was sure that he was crying out as he spasmed in pain on the floor. There was no way  _anyone_ would be able to keep silent with this happening to them. It was by some miracle that the guards didn't rush into his cell to see him in such a state. If this new curse didn't kill him, the sheer embarrassment if the guards were to witness this probably would.

It was after a few more minutes of writhing about on the floor where the pain stopped and he was able to breathe easy again. However, the brief relief was cut short when a sob escaped him, now realizing how more miserable this added curse was going to be for his situation. He almost wished that the curse ended up killing him so he didn't have to live with it for long. Of course, he was much too stubborn to actually  _want_  such a thing. Anyway, it was only a thought.

All his strength exhausted, Hans fell unconscious into sleep.

###

"I thank you for your time," Elsa said to the Council in the meeting room the day after the sudden execution of the pirate. "We will summon the prisoner to the throne room so that he will face his judgment. I would like for all of you to meet with me there." The group of dignitaries, councilors, and advisers filed out of the room after each one bowed to their monarch.

Telling the Council of all the events that transpired with the meeting of the trolls, of Hans' idea of being an executioner, of the meeting she had with the pixie, of the consequences she considered in the choices laid before her; she was quite relieved to see that each councilman had the same fears and concerns that she had. Some were quite vocal about them, even a bit combative at the worst, but they all agreed with her reasoning.

If there was one thing that Elsa feared the most, other than losing Anna, was that she wasn't fit enough to rule her kingdom with wise decisions. Having the Council helped in parsing out choices that were unreasonable, of course. But in the end, her own word was law. If her words would cause the kingdom to fall to ruin, she was no better than the corrupt leaders her father warned her about growing up, even if she had the best interests of her people at heart.

Hearing the support of the Council in her choice helped to relieve her doubts in her ability to rule, but that didn't banish the fear of how her people would react to such a decision. She sincerely hoped that the rest of the kingdom would share the same sentiment in her as she had with the Council. Councilmen were trained to exercise restraint when it came to outbursts of illogical actions, but a crowd can be easily swayed by emotion, all rationality flying out the window. The wrong ones can cause uprising at the very worst, and dissent at the very least.

Before she could deliver her speech to them, however, she needed to have Hans hear about his new assignment.

She told a servant to bring Anna and Kristoff to the throne room before she herself made her own way there.

###

Hans jolted awake when a guard prodded at his shoulder with the tip of his boot. Remembering the newer curse put upon him, he sprang to his feet and fled to the far reaches of the enclosure, mindful not to touch anyone. He saw that the body was no longer in his cell, and that the scythe was sheathed and in the possession of another guard. Another quizzically picked up the empty bag and dropped it when he saw that it was empty.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't surprise me like that," the prince said as calmly as he could. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest, and he no doubt looked like a mess to the guards, so he doubted his mask of confidence was very convincing.

The guards made no acknowledgment that they heard him and unlatched his chains from the wall. They tugged him out of the cell, away from the dungeon, and led him to the gathering of people in the throne room. He was mindful to keep his hands away from touching  _anyone_. He undoubtedly looked as stiff as a porcelain doll with the way his arms were kept from moving as he walked.

With all the well-dressed people gathered in the throne room, likely the Queen's Council, Hans could only guess that Queen Elsa had made her decision regarding what to do with Hans from this point forward.

The queen and princess appeared to try to keep straight faces, as if they were trying to hold back laughter. It seemed that they noticed his strange gait as he made his way to kneel to his hands and knees in front of the throne.

"Why does he walk like there are iron rods in his arms?" he heard one councilman say to another.

"I doubt he realizes that he looks foolish doing so," the other responded, laughing lightly. Hans resisted the urge to snap at them and bit his tongue.

He almost fell over in shock when he saw Kristoff making his way to stand beside Anna. His eyes widened at the realization that his eyes  _didn't_  deceive him the other day when he saw something off about the body. If that man he killed wasn't Kristoff, who was it then?

"I-I thought… I thought I killed you!" Hans gasped in surprise. He reached out to see if the blond man was real, but flinched and drew his hands away when he remembered the curse. "But… how? Who was the man I killed? W–"

The queen held her hand up to silence his rambling.

"I will address this later. Now, you must face judgment," Elsa said as formal and regal as a queen should be. "We have decided to follow through with your idea to be the kingdom's executioner. You will not be executed for your crimes against the kingdom of Arendelle. You have shown that this curse set upon you is punishment enough."

Hans' spirits were lifted upon hearing this. He wasn't going to be executed? He wasn't going to be driven insane to give in to the land? He almost wept in gratitude at the queen's feet. His pride, however, prevented him from doing such a thing. Despite everything, he at least needed to save a little bit of dignity.

He was still a prince, after all.

"Kristoff Bjorgman has suggested that if you were to continue to show traits of good character, you will be allowed to live and serve as a servant to the crown, though under heavy guard. He believes that bringing you out of the dungeons would be more beneficial for you to continue to do what is now expected of you, and that you would be more able to prove your worth to the kingdom. However, the Council and I agree that you must first earn this privilege. You will be assessed for the next few weeks by either Princess Anna, Kristoff Bjorgman, or me. If we deem you trustworthy in your cause to better the greater good, then, and  _only_  then, would you be brought out of your cell."

Hans' mouth dropped open in shock, and he quickly closed it in place when he realized that he probably looked dumb doing so. Were they really going to give him all of this? After all that he'd done? Were they really going to just forgive him, just like that?

No, it wasn't forgiveness. If they did, Queen Elsa would have just said as much. He was going to be given a lighter sentence. That was all. Still, it showed how merciful the queen could be. Hans wasn't sure why, but he felt ashamed of himself for ever attempting to take over her kingdom.

The ice harvester was sympathetic to him as well. Why? Was there something the trolls told him about that he wasn't yet aware of? It was highly likely that if the old troll told Kristoff about it, then the man would have spread the word to everyone else. How else would the ice harvester convince the queen and her council to allow him such freedoms?

Well, of course he would have to earn those privileges. There was no way he would pass up such an opportunity.  _Anything_  to get him out of living in a dungeon for the rest of his life.

"In addition to the criminals currently in the kingdom," the queen continued after a few moments of pause. "We are being sent high-profile criminals from neighboring kingdoms to be tried here in Arendelle. If they are deemed worthy of execution, you will be the one to carry out their punishments, regardless of your living arrangements. The extra criminals are to ensure that there would be enough leeway for you to be free of the land's influence between… sacrifices."

The queen grimaced a bit from saying the word. The gathered councilmen shifted about uncomfortably where they stood.

No doubt that they felt the whole situation felt like a badly-written story about appeasing a hungry monster by throwing unwilling victims to its abode. Hans definitely felt the same sentiment. But sadly, the story was their reality.

"Do the rest of you have any remarks?" she asked, opening the floor to everyone in the room.

After a few moments of silence around the chamber, Elsa gestured to the gathered councilmen, who left at the dismissal. He was left alone with the three responsible for his assessments and the guards who brought him from the dungeon.

"Now, to address the man you sacrificed the other day, that man was convicted of multiple counts of piracy and murders. He was to be executed next month," the queen said, a softer tone to her voice with hint of worry. A pirate? Well, at least it wasn't an innocent man. It still didn't rest easy within him, however.

"I genuinely thought I killed you," Hans said to Kristoff. "I thought that when I was going to be brought here, there was no chance that I would ever be…" He started to choke up, the words getting caught in his throat. The relief he felt that the person who had shown any bit of hope in Hans wasn't dead caused his eyes to water, to his terrifying realization.

"Seriously? You didn't even check to see if it was me?" Kristoff said in a mixture of shock and amusement.

"I couldn't bring myself to. I tried  _so_ hard to keep myself from slipping. And then thinking I…"

"Wait… You  _really_  didn't want to hurt him?" Anna asked, stepping closer to where Hans kneeled. He shrunk away as she made her advance, pulling his hands closer to his body, which was quite a feat since he also made sure to keep them away from himself as well.

Afraid to hurt Anna now? Even after having a lack of second thoughts about leaving her to die? Oh, how far he'd fallen.

Or… maybe that was a good thing? Maybe it was an indication that he was changing?

"Are you seriously afraid of me?" Anna said with mild annoyance. "Really?"

"I don't want to hurt you," Hans said, panic-stricken when he saw that Anna moved ever closer to where he kneeled. He stood to his feet and backed away from the princess. The queen and the princess' fiancé were glued to where they were, wanting to act but not sure how.

To his horror, he found that he couldn't move any further when the chains around his wrists and ankles pulled taut.

"Please, stay away from me," Hans pleaded, growing more desperate when the guards reached to grab at one of his hands. He twisted away from their reach and yanked at the chains holding him. "Stop! Stop! I don't want to hurt any of you! Please, just listen!"

One of the guards succeeded in grabbing one of Hans' wrists, hand coming into contact with cursed hand. As soon as he did, he screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, dropping his hold on his end of the chain. Everyone in the throne room looked on in terror as the guard's soul threatened to separate from his body, the eerie glow emanating around his form. The other guards drew their blades and pointed them at the captured prince, angry that one of their own was in a state. One made a motion to swing his sword before it clattered to the ground, its blade coated in ice.

"Everyone, stop!" Elsa commanded, the floor around her frosting over in ice. The tormented guard continued his screams, though everyone else froze and turned their gazes onto the queen.

Hans made no attempt to flee, knowing it was pointless (and impossible, considering that he was still chained).

"Send that to the other room," Elsa commanded the guard holding the scythe. Hans' panic grew even larger when the guard disappeared with the enchanted harvesting tool behind a door. However, he knew that it was for the best, since the whole situation had escalated enough where someone's life was in danger with it around. His own comfort wasn't necessary.

"Explain. Now," Elsa said, her act of calmness failing at the breaking of her voice. Anna fell to her knees next to the tortured guard, attempting to comfort him as she cried. She whispered unintelligible things to the guard, which appeared to help calm him a little.

"The pixie added another curse," Hans started, verging on tears. No, enough with crying. It never served him well anyway. He clamped his eyes shut, willing them away as he continued, "That whomever I touch with these hands shall experience torment. I assume that she means for this to replace the wasted dust I spilled while in my grief the other day."

"… and that's all?"

"She also said that it's irrevocable. She told me to figure out everything else on my own. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I wasn't immune to my own curse." A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he opened his eyes to gaze the floor. As he sank back to kneel to his knees, he added, "Hilariously enough, I even half-wished it was literally the 'touch of death' she off-handedly mentioned."

Of course, it wasn't hilarious. He was absolutely miserable.

He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down, stifling the chaotic storm of emotion stirring within him. It wouldn't do to have a breakdown in front of the queen, of course.

The writhing guard ceased his screams, panting heavily as his soul returned to its peaceful state back into the far reaches of his body. The princess helped the man back to his feet when his breathing returned to normal. The other guards around Hans returned their swords to their scabbards, but their stances did not relax.

"I'm sorry," Hans said to the guard. "You shouldn't have gone through that." The guard only nodded and returned to his place holding his end of the chain.

"You really didn't want to hurt him…" Anna said, shocked realization contorting her features. "Y-you… b-but… Why? Suddenly you're acting all guilty, and that you're owning up to your mistakes, and it's like your so easy to read all of a sudden. What…?"

"To be quite frank, Princess Anna, it's as if Fate no longer wanted me to continue to be… well…  _me._  Knowing that Fate is an actual conscious force of some sort, that's probably not an exaggeration. Other than that, I'm just very tired of all the games."

"I'm sorry it's just that… I don't know whether or not I can believe you. After all the deception, and the death threats, and…" Her eyes widened at an epiphany. "I really  _don't_ know you."

Hans offered her a sad smile and sighed, "You and me both, it seems." He stared at his hands in disgust, curling his fingers against the floor in anger. "And now I'm stuck like this. If only I wasn't so oblivious to where my original path was leading, none of this would have happened. Now I have to be  _extremely_  cautious doing anything. Even changing my attire! Hah! How pitiful."

"Why don't we just cover them?" Kristoff suggested. "You're not  _really_  touching anything if they're covered, right?"

"I doubt the pixie would give me such an easy workaround."

"It doesn't hurt to try, right?"

"I suppose not," Hans sighed.

"Is there any other concerns that anyone else wants to bring to my attention before we're dismissed?" Elsa asked. The ice around her dissipated as she took a few deep breaths. After a round of answers of the negative, she instructed for Hans to be sent back to the dungeon.

After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, she made her way to prepare herself to speak to the kingdom, small motes of snowflakes trailing in the queen's wake.

###

"People of Arendelle," Elsa said, starting her speech when a good number of the kingdom's citizens gathered in the square in front of her. "I regretfully bring grave news from my excursion to the trolls in the mountains. Prince Hans' curse could not be broken, nor is there any way to quench the fury our land feels for humanity other than to submit to its demands for sacrifice."

At this, the crowd started to murmur amongst themselves. A few gasps echoed around the audience.

"We have been warned of a great disaster should Prince Hans be prevented in carrying out his assignment. To help prevent the deaths of innocents, the Council and I have decided to carry out an agreement with the prince. We have established Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles as the official executioner of Arendelle. This way, only those who deserve death would be sacrificed."

The murmurs grew louder, their dissatisfaction of the ruling becoming more apparent.

"Yesterday, the dread pirate Thaddeus was executed for his crimes. I know that it was premature, but know that it was necessary. Had this decision not been made, we risk much more than failing to follow the bureaucratic proceedings of proper execution of a criminal. Since we do not yet know Prince Hans' stance in whether or not he is concerned for the people of Arendelle, he will continue to be under heavy guard, and will not be allowed to be among the common populace for everyone's safety."

The crowd's voices died down, though a few rowdy shouts could be heard.

"Send him back to the Isles, Queen Elsa! We don't want him here!" a villager argued. Sounds of agreement rumbled throughout the gatherers.

"As I have explained before upon returning to Arendelle from Corona, it was my actions during my coronation that caused these events to occur. I am responsible for the fallout, and Hans' condition is a part of that responsibility. Should any of you want to voice your concerns, you may request an audience with me in the throne room. I thank all of you for your patience in this matter."

Elsa gave a practiced, graceful wave to the crowd before returning inside the castle. She exhaled a sigh, the almost-unnoticeable snowflakes disappearing as she calmed down.

The people weren't very happy with the decision. She was sure to have an earful awaiting her in the throne room later on.

###

Princess Anna took a deep breath before opening the door to Hans' cell. Yes, she knew it was foolish to not bring Elsa or Kristoff with her, but the guards were enough, right? Besides, Elsa was super busy with meeting with people after her speech. Very unhappy people. Kristoff wanted to come, but she  _had_  to speak to Hans alone. After everything she did, she felt that it was only fair that she, by herself, should speak to him. Or, relatively by herself.

Her fear made her forget who she was, and because of it, made everything worse. It was a wonder how no one had died because of her lack of tact. At least, not directly. While she didn't believe that she was responsible for the deaths of the people in Corona, she couldn't claim complete innocence. For all she knew, she even might have contributed in some part. It almost made her as bad as the man chained up in the cell in front of her.

As much as she still held grievances against the prince in her dungeon, she should at least fess up to her own wrongdoings. It was the right thing to do, after all. A royal should know and fix their faults, lest they fall into corruption, as her parents used to tell her.

Stepping into the cell, with the guards tailing her closely, Anna saw Hans sitting hunched over at the edge of the cot, staring at the wall in front of him, looking to be on the verge of breaking down. Into tears? Hysterics? Insanity? Maybe all of the above.

This was the same man who was able to woo her in one day, and leave her for dead the next. Wow, what a mess he'd become.

"Hey… uh…" Anna started. Hans jolted at the sound of her voice, as if his staring earlier was a trance of some sort that she had interrupted. "I just came to say I'm sorry."

His head snapped to gaze at her, eyebrows raised in disbelief. He blinked a few times rapidly before clearing his throat and replying, albeit hesitantly, "A-apology accepted. For what, may I ask?"

"For everything. For making you angry, for being blind to your suffering, for not noticing that you're…  _different_  now… somehow. Pretty much for being a jerk to you."

"Oh."

"You're not going to say any witty remarks?"

"No. I'm… surprisingly at a loss for words."

"Wow, if an apology was all it takes, people should do it more often," Anna laughed. She bit back her amusement when she remembered who she was talking to. Ugh, why did he make things so  _complicated?_  "Anyway, I brought these as a… peace offering. Or, something along those lines."

She reached out to one of the guards next to her, who placed a pair of gloves into her hand. Hans eyed the exchange, expression unreadable.

"I also want to thank you for… uh…  _restraining_  yourself when Kristoff was in the cell with you when you were about to go psycho," Anna added awkwardly. She nodded and cleared her throat. She really needed to work on being a "graceful princess."

She placed the gloves at the foot of the cot and left the cell along with her entourage. She heaved a huge sigh of relief, the weight of guilt leaving her shoulders, before locking the door behind her.

Okay, so he didn't try to hurt her this time. Maybe Kristoff was right all along, that all Hans needed was for someone to encourage him to develop his good side. She didn't know  _how_  to do it, but the least she could do was to keep from antagonizing him whenever they spoke.


	9. Winds Have Brought an Unexpected Visitor

Elsa knew that there were going to be dissatisfied people demanding her attention after her speech, there was no question. However, it didn't lessen the feelings of being constantly on edge as she listened and explained the situation based on each individual's different flairs of concern; concerns for the kingdom's safety, for the kingdom's reputation, for the kingdom's judicial system, and so forth.

While she would put her people's own needs before her own without hesitation, it did not change the fact that she felt like she was constantly repeating herself. Though it meant that she didn't have to come up with new explanations she hadn't thought through well enough, it still chipped at her long-suffering patience. She didn't let that show, of course, except for the momentary sigh of relief she accidentally let escape when she was interrupted by the royal messenger. She took it as an opportunity for the visits to end for the day.

After the last visitor filed out of the throne room, the messenger kneeled before her, words spilling from his mouth hastily, "Your Majesty, a prince of the Southern Isles has just arrived and requests an audience. He says it is of high priority that he speaks with you as soon as possible." Elsa leapt out of her seat in shock, the messenger flinching in surprise at the sudden movement.

It seemed that the Southern Isles' royalty had impeccable timing when it came to making surprise appearances – Impeccable timing to show up at the  _worst_  moments. She was already on unsteady ground in the eyes of some of her people. Having another Southern Isles prince in her kingdom while trying to repair the damage was not going to help matters.

She could just order the visiting prince away. But that would mean that she would run away from the problem, and that wouldn't solve anything. Not to mention risk angering this prince for not seeing to his purpose for making the voyage to Arendelle. As tempting a choice that was, she begrudgingly called for the prince to be sent to her throne room as she sat back down, willing her heart to settle down.

As the prince made his way to the foot of Elsa's throne, she couldn't help but take note of what kind of person he likely was based on his appearances. There was a jagged scar that traced across his cheek, ending at the tip of his chin. A combative personality, perhaps? His gait was stiff and precise, reminding her of the soldiers in the kingdom's army when she watched them practice formations one day. He likely had some form of military training. The prince was trailed by a single guard adorned in the colors of the Southern Isles, a bodyguard most likely. So, he must be someone of great importance in his kingdom, since she didn't see Hans have one during her coronation celebration.

"Greetings, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," the prince said after a graceful, respectful bow. "I am Prince Anders Westergaard of the Southern Isles, fourth heir to the throne, and older brother to Prince Hans. I am here to relieve your kingdom of him."

Direct and to the point, already unlike her first impressions of Hans. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about having to pull answers out of him like pulling teeth.

"I thought I made it clear that Arendelle is now his custodian, as ordained by the kingdom of Corona, whom the Southern Isles had given full discretion of his fate. Hadn't anyone read the letter I sent?" Elsa said.

"Yes, and its contents are what worry me. We were afraid that he fell into his delusions and was able to convince you to believe his false realities. If that is the case, I ask that you please show him mercy if you aren't willing to part with the responsibility of his care. However, that could have easily been communicated through a letter, or they also could have sent someone else.

"I'm here due to the high possibility that he has somehow been able to manipulate his way back into Arendelle. I fear that he has harbored an unhealthy enough grudge against you and your sister, Princess Anna, that he may find an opportunity to strike and… 'finish what he started.'

"These… 'curses' that you spoke of in the letter… they are impossible to have happened. There is not a hint of sorcerous practice in him or anyone in our bloodline, nor do I believe that he had attracted the attentions of 'the pixies.' To be quite frank, the fact that he was able to convince you of such nonsense proves that he is incredibly dangerous. That is, of course, if he's sane.

"I left my kingdom as soon as we received the letter in the hopes that I can assess whether or not he is still a danger, something that can only be done in person. Out of all the Westergaard brothers, I was the one who was most able to call Hans out on his deceptions. A skill that had proved useful in the end, for I am in charge of the law enforcers in my kingdom."

"Prince Anders, I thank you for concerns, but I assure you that Prince Hans is not lying about his condition," Elsa said.

"I'm sorry to seem disrespectful in saying this, but magic does not exist outside of stories told to children. This wouldn't be the first time he claimed magic playing a part in things that have gone wrong for him. He once called you an 'ice sorceress' and that you cast a curse upon your kingdom that struck winter upon the land the day of your coronation. In the middle of  _July._ "

"He didn't lie about that either, Prince Anders. Magic does, in fact, exist." Elsa flicked her fingers and tiny swirls of snow danced in the air in a small show of her powers. They disappeared before they hit the ground.

The prince before her gaped in wonder at the display, eyes widened in shock.

"Just as you've seen and believe that I possess magical abilities," Elsa said, putting on a stern and persuasive tone. "I've seen and believe the effects the curses the pixie has placed upon your youngest brother. Since it is due to my reckless behavior that your brother has been given this burden, I am doing all that I can in my power to rectify the situation, as I stated in the letter."

"That meant… Hans  _did_  kill Klaus." Anders stared off into the distance at the realization. His gaze darkened. "Oh, that pixie is going to  _pay_  for this."

Elsa was relieved yet astonished that Prince Anders pushed all his anger towards the pixie instead of her, unlike how Hans initially reacted. She shouldn't feel so surprised, though, since Anders was likely completely different than his brother in the dungeon. He didn't think nor act like Hans.

But that didn't mean the little voice inside her mind would keep from saying she deserved at least a little bit of his anger.

"May I see him, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"You may, though I do suggest you exercise extreme caution. While he isn't a danger in the way that he's driven by vengeance, even so much as touching him can lead to… extreme discomfort."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"There's a new curse that was placed upon him. One that causes one's soul to be disturbed at its tethers at the touch of his hands, apparently in substitution for the pixie dust he used to have. He himself isn't immune to its effects."

His look of distress upon hearing the explanation elicited an ache of sympathy she felt towards him. Unlike Hans, Anders made no attempts to hide how he felt as his tears streaked down his cheeks and chin, his fists clenching at his sides.

"No! That… he can't live like that!" Anders said to no one in particular. "Where is he?"

###

Princess Anna…  _apologized?_  And Hans  _accepted_  the apology without a second thought? Just when he thought things wouldn't get stranger, the most out-of-the-blue and unlikely of moments had happened.

And here he thought that he needed to jump through many hoops for him to ever get an apology from the princess. Even more if he was to ever say "I forgive you" in return.

Hans eyed the gloves on his cot warily before he moved to grab them. They were made of a thick leather, slightly worn and old. Working gloves, its previous owner was likely a blacksmith, a carpenter, or someone along those lines of professions.

With shaking hands, he slipped the pair on. It was an arduous task to try to avoid any contact with any part of his body with his hands.

Now came the moment of truth.

He inwardly prayed for it to work when he touched a forearm with a covered hand, wincing in anticipation when he made contact.

He waited and…

Nothing.

He released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and laughed in joy. It worked! Ecstatic, he touched his cheeks, shoulders, even going so far to touch his chest. No torment, no wispy soul stirring for escape. Oh, the relief! The metaphorical burden lifted from his shoulders, leaving him with a feeling as if he would float into the sky should he jump from the parapets of the castle.

He was certainly going to thank Kristoff for his wonderful idea.

Hans could learn to live with this curse, now that there was an easy loophole he could exploit. All he needed to do was never to remove the gloves.  _Ever._

His mood faltered a bit at the realization. Ah, no matter. There weren't many things in life that needed the fine dexterity required from uncovered hands. He wasn't a seamster, nor was he keen on repair work. Also, on the bright side, he now had a legitimate excuse for not playing the violin or piano.

The memory of having those horrid, mandatory music recitals the princes would perform for their parents every year played in his thoughts and brought him to sigh wistfully. Whoever thought it was a good idea for thirteen rambunctious boys to learn the discipline of sitting still and learning to play a musical instrument needed to reexamine their life. While the princes wouldn't ever dare to act out of line with the king and queen around, their music tutors were fair game. Music lessons were the only time they ever really exercised the opportunity to rebel. Despite the obvious chaos that arose from their unwillingness, the princes would perform whatever piece they were assigned to practice and memorize for their yearly performance.

Pieter, being the "perfect example of royalty and grace," was impressive to watch. Hans supposed his eldest brother's sensitive nature helped with expressing emotion through the inanimate, soulless sound-devices. Of course, said emotions were frustration and anger at having to play  _another_  piece, but he always played so masterfully. Had Pieter not been born to be king, he would have earned his keep as a professional musician.

Everyone else? Well, if the music was written one way, that was certainly  _not_  how it was played. Holger, the second-born, just didn't practice and fudged his way through a piece. Anders would play all the notes in perfect pitch and tempo, but always had the tendency to play at one volume, and that was  _extremely loud._  Klaus would purposefully sour his notes for "delicate" songs, or switch tempos on the fly.

As for Hans, while not as terrible at playing as Holger, would play "creative renditions" of the pieces he was assigned to perform just to spite everyone. One very  _frustrating_  year, Mozart's "Sonata in C Major" turned into "F# Minor." Oh, the reactions of his brothers to hear such a commonly-heard piece butchered by his hands were priceless. He hated playing an instrument with a passion.

Still, all the princes of the Southern Isles were able to hold their own musically. Passable for having learned the skills, at the very least. While none of them were wanting to learn such nonsense skills required by the royalty and nobility due to "etiquette and privilege," they did it out of respect for the king and queen. Needless to say, the recitals ended with the death of their parents.

Thinking about his family quenched the giddy feeling he was feeling earlier. He missed them – which was strange, because he wanted to escape from their influence in the past. He supposed it was due to the fact that he would likely never see them again. He would never be able to fulfill the desire he had to repair whatever relationship damage that was formed over the years, especially now that he knew they've been trying to reach him for the longest time.

He never even met his many nieces and nephews, either. How sad that the rift between him and his siblings was great enough for that to happen.

But as long as he was still alive, there was always a chance, right?

A knock at the cell door, the grating sound of it unlocking, and its swing on its hinges harkened the entrance of a stern-faced Prince Anders.

A distant memory of being punished through punches in his torso from an angry, adolescent Anders flashed in his mind before he shook off the feeling of astonishment.

Awestruck that one of his brothers was  _here_  in  _Arendelle_  stunned Hans to where he was on his cot. Just when he was thinking about family, one of them just so happened to be there. How unsurprising that it was the violent-tempered Anders and his uncanny ability to catch Hans in all his schemes at just the right moments. A perfect skill to possess in one whose pet name throughout the Southern Isles was "Prince Inspector."

Or "Prince of the Pigs" for the more unruly folk.

He observed his older brother carefully, trying to predict whether his brother was here to hurt him, as he did in the past; or if he was here out of concern, which was a newer development in the fourth heir. Even though his brother was skilled in eking out the truth in deceivers, Prince Anders was quite possibly the easiest of all thirteen to figure out, intentions-wise. However, Hans was surprisingly having a harder time reading Anders than usual. He wasn't sure if the obvious displeasure his brother displayed was directed towards him or someone else.

He really hoped that it was the latter.

 _Just when my infallible knack for reading people fails, it fails at the worst time,_ Hans thought to himself.

"Even though Queen Elsa says what is true, my heart does not want to believe it, little brother," Prince Anders said as he walked into Hans' cell, his bodyguard following behind him. He turned to the Arendellian guards watching the cell, "I wish to speak to him in private."

The guards exchanged worried looks before shutting the door. Hans couldn't help but fidget under his brother's attention.

"Hello there, what brings you to my humble abode?" Hans quipped sarcastically, attempting to hide his discomfort. He decided to err on the side of caution and act like nothing was amiss. "Wouldn't the police force of the Southern Isles miss its chief inspector? I fear for the common good if just one slimy criminal were to get away without you around."

"I came to verify the contents of the letter sent by Queen Elsa. As you know, such things can only be done in person. I needed to  _know_ , Hans. I wanted to prevent you from slipping further into your treachery."

"And what? Send the Southern Isles' hunting dog to sniff for blood that isn't there?"

"If I didn't know you so well, I wouldn't have come here. While you haven't spilled the royal blood of Arendelle, I've come to the realization that you did kill Klaus in making this visit. But… it didn't quite add up. I'm looking to you for an explanation."

"As I told  _everyone_  before Klaus' funeral, I killed him using the scythe you saw was in my possession when I met with him while he was on his deathbed. For someone who prides himself in sorting lies from the truth, surprisingly enough my reputation to deceive won out."

Anders seemed to crumble after Hans said this. The older prince never was known to keep emotions hidden for long anyway. Anders was almost a blubbering mess when he spoke again.

"You were under a great amount of stress, Hans. I didn't know whether or not you were acting out of your own volition, or if Klaus' death made you lose your mind. I had to go with my instincts, and all evidence pointed to apparent suicide. But… now knowing the truth…"

"I understand if you want to execute me."

"What? No! As much as I've dedicated myself to following the law to the letter, I have… biases that prevent me from doing so. I still hold onto hope that you'll find your way again. A purpose that will serve for a higher, better cause."

The two fell silent, one watching the other as if in anticipation for an outburst of sorts. Anders gave in to the tension first.

With an angry yell, Prince Anders pounded against the stone wall of the cell with a clenched fist, knuckles torn and bleeding from the action. Hans flinched, half-expecting the punch to land on him instead.

Anders hadn't laid a hand on Hans in years, but the memories had never really disappeared.

"I'm sorry, I just really hate how all of that got destroyed by… your new condition," Anders said, brushing the raw flesh with his uninjured hand.

"Likewise."

"It breaks my heart to see you in such a state. I no longer see the pride you used to carry, the charm in your words every time you come to insult me. The… hopelessness I see in your eyes. To see you so bare and without pretense, it's… I never wanted to see you so broken. It's as if I'm looking at a stranger. Like one of the hardened criminals that have been locked in prison for far too long. Ones I see every day.

"You had so much more to offer for our kingdom! I was always so jealous of you, knowing that if you used your talents for good, you could help usher in a new era for the Southern Isles. To rally the people just with your words, or strike fear into our enemies by slinking into the shadows of subterfuge. I hated you for what you would become, for being everything that I was not. So eloquent, charming, opportunistic. Someone who would have easily surpassed  _this_  older brother."

"I knew about your jealousy the whole time, Anders. You were always so easy to read. I had to! If not, I wouldn't have been able to keep at least two steps ahead of you to avoid being beaten to a pulp if I so much as looked at you at the wrong time."

"I know, and I've never felt so guilty in my life after realizing what I've done to you. I turned all that negative energy towards upholding the laws of the Southern Isles, to protect its citizens from the ruthlessness that lives in the hearts of their own friends and neighbors. I hoped that I would be able to redeem myself.

"Don't you see, Hans? Every one of your older brothers has tried to contribute in their own way to fix the tumultuous legacy our father left behind. To rectify all the wrong we've done in your childhood. Pieter has become one of the most merciful kings ever known in the Southern Isles. Holger is using his ingenuity with medicine to lead our doctors to create treatments that are saving many lives! Even Klaus was trying to get an orphanage running. 'So that no child would ever feel invisible,' as he said.

"To see our youngest sibling faltering, not fulfilling the destiny that was so apparent in the very beginning. To know that it was due to our poor treatment of him throughout the years that caused this…"

"Anders. Please, don't… I'm as much at fault in this as everyone else. I always knew that each of you turned your lives around. For the kingdom's sake. For  _my_  sake… But my pride… My desire for a crown, for control. My choices led me to where I am today. I deserve every bit of this."

"No! No one deserves this! That  _pixie_  that did this to you deserves to be struck dead from the heavens for her maliciousness!"

Hans stood up in alarm at his brother's outburst, "Don't say that! Please, I don't want you to attract her attention."

"She wouldn't  _dare_  mess with me."

"She would and it was through her schemes that Klaus is dead. I don't want to lose another brother to my curse." A small " _plip"_  sounded on the floor when a teardrop fell from Hans' chin. Hans was…  _crying_  and he didn't notice? The two stared at the spattered droplet on the floor in wonder.

 _Curse tears and the feelings they represent,_  Hans thought to himself as he angrily wiped the tear-trail from his face with his gloved hand.

"You…  _do_  love me, brother," Anders whispered in shock. "To make this discovery in such terrible circumstances." Anders walked to Hans, arms opened wide. Hans slinked back in fear and Anders paused. "And to know that I can never hold my baby brother in love ever again. How bitter fate could be."

"No, you can hug me. It's just that… I'm not used to you laying a hand on me without having the intention to hit me."

Anders didn't hide his hurt and shame, but with a nod of understanding asked, "But what of your curse? The…  _newer_  one Queen Elsa mentioned?"

Hans showed him his gloved hands and said, "We found a way to work around it." Drawing up the courage, Hans embraced his older brother with a desperate fervor to show how much he loved him, despite all the misgivings in the past. Anders sobbed into the younger prince's shoulder, sounds of sadness and laughter muffled into his shirt.

"We love you Hans. Never forget that," Anders whispered. "Even if you lose yourself in this mess, never forget."

Prince Anders' bodyguard stepped away from the two brothers, feeling awkward of having been enclosed in a cell to watch the events between the two unfold.

###

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa were quite embarrassed to walk into the two brothers' tearful reunion. It didn't appear that the two princes noticed their entrance. However, Kristoff was pleased to see that his idea to cover Hans' hands had worked, at least.

"We have visitors, Prince Anders," the bodyguard coughed, face reddening in embarrassment.

Said prince straightened himself, but didn't release his embrace from his youngest sibling. Hans, on the other hand, let go of his brother, eyes widened in mortification.

Kristoff saw his fiancée smiling wide in bemusement and discomfort, slowly inching herself toward the exit. He kind of wanted to do the same, but their meeting with the prisoner was necessary since they needed to talk about his new role as executioner and the unknown, encroaching date of another "call to action." He didn't know if Prince Anders was needed at the moment. The older prince likely wanted to hear about his brother's new responsibility, too, though.

As for why Kristoff was there, well… Since he was the one advocating for Hans' idea, and the added leniency towards the criminal prince's living conditions, it was only fair for him to be as involved as possible throughout the whole process.

Even if it was going to be a whole lot more work than it initially appeared to be.

Also, queen's orders. Couldn't argue with that.

"If you pardon the informality, I would like to hug my baby brother a little longer, Your Majesty," Prince Anders said, amusement in his voice. Hans gripped at Anders' grasping arms, attempting to pull himself away from his elder and failing. "I rarely have the opportunity to do this."

"Imagine how your officers would react if they knew their leader was displaying such a compromising display of affection towards a high-profile criminal," Hans ground out. Then he added with a devious grin, "I doubt you ever hold your own wife this way. I'm actually quite honored. She should be very jealous."

Appall and terror twisting the older prince's face, Prince Anders shoved Hans away from him and brushed his attire in disgust. Kristoff didn't hide the short chortle of amusement seeing Anders' theatrics.

"Of course it would be you to twist my innocent intentions into something so…  _abhorrent_ , brother," Anders said, straightening his coat.

Hans shrugged as if to say, "What else did you expect?" and replied nonchalantly, "From what it seems, they're here to discuss something important. I can't listen properly with you hanging onto me like that."

Anders scoffed, mock offense painted on his face. Wow, and  _Hans_ was the youngest sibling?

"It's about your new role in Arendelle's justice system, Prince Hans," Elsa said.

"Oh, is that so?" Prince Anders said, crossing his arms and leaning forward slightly in interest. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to hear. I'm also quite involved in the Southern Isles' justice system as well."

"Yes… You lead the law enforcement there, if I remember you mentioning that correctly?"

Prince Anders nodded, adding eagerly, "Serving and protecting my countrymen through weeding out those who threaten their safety among their numbers. A passion of mine, really. I'm much too soft to handle the rigorous training of being a soldier."

Huh, Prince Hans had a brother that was a lawman? Kristoff wasn't sure if he was surprised. With someone as deviant and corrupt Hans initially appeared to be, he never would have guessed one of his brothers falling into that line of work.

Then again, twelve brothers. Twelve potential cases of differing personalities. The eldest, King Pieter, sounded like a good man, and Prince Anders seemed like he was concerned for the common good. Were these two the exception, making the rest of the Southern Isles princes a brood of evil? Or was Prince Hans the only bad apple?

Or was there more to the story that he wasn't aware of?

Kristoff supposed that he could sate that curiosity by talking with Prince Hans later, or with Prince Anders if he was going to stay in Arendelle for a little while longer. Both would be best, of course. It wasn't good to only have one side, since there was always going to be bias somewhere.

Elsa cleared her throat, drawing Kristoff's attention back to reality.

"As an executioner of Arendelle, there are expectations that you must follow," Elsa started.

Prince Anders butted in, surprised, "Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty. Executioner? Is… that the solution you came up with?"

"It is actually Prince Hans' idea. Under Arendelle's laws, attempted regicide is punished through execution, the same as it is in your kingdom. However, we've come to the conclusion that if he were to face this as is punishment, we risk angering forces that are much more powerful than we can handle. The land… The…  _being_  that is influencing Prince Hans' drive to sacrifice has agreed to leave him be as long as he does what it asks.

"Should Prince Hans fail to act, the land has threatened destruction. As for the pixies, Prince Hans' execution would likely bring more chaos than they have previously brought through their influence in this matter. No one is willing for Prince Hans to be set free to do whatever he wishes, since it risks the safety and lives of countless innocents, the same goes for keeping him locked up in the dungeons to fall into madness with the land's influence wearing at him. Prince Hans' idea is the best we have so far. The pixies have also shown their support for this idea, and have assured me that following this through would lead to a better outcome."

"Understandable, yet… not reassuring. In all my years as an investigator, for someone with Hans' reputation, the irony is not lost on me that a would-be murderer would kill other criminals as a part of his sentence. But who am I to judge? The crown says the law, and all I've trained to do is to follow it. Do continue, Your Majesty. There will be no more interruptions from me."

"Very well," Elsa said with a nod. "As an executioner of Arendelle, Prince Hans, you must dress in uniform to represent that your actions are done in the name of the Crown of Arendelle. Since you are now a part of the kingdom's justice system, you must be hold yourself to a higher standard. Your appearance and your actions will be judged against you should you fail to do so, and harshly. You may not speak a word when an execution is taking place. You may not touch the condemned unless it is to kill. You will execute  _only_  when ordered to. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans replied.

"In the event of a public execution, the previous rules still apply. However, you are to announce the crimes the person had committed and prepare the condemned in such a way that when they die, they die with their dignity still intact. If they have any final wishes, that is only for the Council to decide upon. Your only duty when it comes to final wishes, however, is whether or not they want to have their faces hidden during a public execution. That is all. All executions must be swift. They are  _not_  to be torturous. They were sentenced to die, not to suffer. Are we in agreement?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Now, we must address the nuances of your new responsibilities given your…  _other_   _duty_. You must report as soon as you feel an… 'urging' for a sacrifice, no matter how minute and inconsequential you deem it to be. While I feel that there are enough high-profile criminals being sent to Arendelle where at least one every few weeks will be sentenced to death, there is no guarantee that you will not experience discomfort from the land in the meantime. And as soon as you feel that you are losing control, you  _must_  – I repeat  _must_ – let others know immediately. I can hasten the criminal proceedings accordingly should that happen. But remember, that must  _only_  be in the event that the lands influence is getting too much. Is that clear?"

"Clear as day, Queen Elsa."

"Good. The Council and I have put Kristoff Bjorgman in charge of your… 'rehabilitation.' Consider him to be your parole officer."

Kristoff blanched at this and sputtered, "W-wait, what? Me?"

"You seem to know what you're doing, and I can't keep making visits like this to the dungeon on a regular basis. Anna certainly can't do it, given that she's shown to be a little… impatient when it comes to Prince Hans. Plus, no one else knows him enough to make note of his change in character, nor is anyone else willing… considering the…  _violence_  that surrounds him."

Anna looked to Kristoff with a guilty look, a sheepish grin gracing her lips.

"Sorry," Anna said, playing with a seam on her dress. "I kinda… sorta… suggested that Hans kinda sorta needed a babysitter, you know, to watch if he's doing what he's been ordered to do…" She brought up her hands defensively. "B-but I didn't know it would be you! I didn't know everyone else was that scared of him."

"If you'd like, I can help train you in the 'feeding and care of Prince Hans' while I'm here," Prince Anders offered, placing a heavy, reassuring hand on Kristoff's shoulder. "He's a wily one, I'll tell you. I'll share some things you need to look out for, especially when he gets into a mood."

Hans stared at Anders, looking like he wanted to bore holes into his sibling with the gaze. Noticing that Kristoff saw the display, Hans played it off as if nothing happened.

Well,  _this_  was going to be  _so much fun_.

Why, oh  _why,_ did he ever listen to Sven in the first place? Why did his troll family have so much faith in him? Why did he have to believe them? At the very least, he could have some questions answered from the two princes.

Sometimes he missed his old life where he answered to no one, his only companion being Sven. This looked to be one of those times.


	10. Forever the Villain

The weeks passed by without any incident from Hans, and if Kristoff was honest, he would even admit that the criminal under his care wasn't terrible company either. Well, that's mainly because he didn't talk much, but Kristoff was used to having a lack of a human conversationalist, so it was all the same, regardless.

The ice-harvester-turned-parole-officer couldn't help but smile widely at the grateful expression that played out on the prisoner's face when Elsa finally deemed Hans safe enough to be released. The queen and princess were still uneasy about Kristoff's advocation for the prince's release, but at the very least they agreed that the new living arrangement would be better for everyone. The land's threats still weighed heavily over their heads. To say Kristoff was pleased that his plan appeared to be working was an understatement.

It wasn't long before the criminals from the other kingdoms arrived in Arendelle. There was unrest in the kingdom because of this, Kristoff could almost feel it.

Surprisingly enough, Prince Anders stayed in Arendelle for the remaining duration of Hans' incarceration, helping to see that the newly-arrived criminals were properly accommodated for, and "to make sure Hans still wasn't doing anything fishy." Those motives helped to assuage any fears the citizens of Arendelle felt at having the kin of their monarch's would-be assassin stay in the castle.

The older prince later confessed to Kristoff that, while Hans was his little brother, it was hard to overlook the label of criminal that was placed on him. In short, Anders was torn between family and duty. The head of the Southern Isles' police was grateful that the follow-up for Hans' judgment didn't rest on his shoulders, since he felt that he failed in that regard back in his home kingdom.

As a lawman, Prince Anders' duties consisted of catching suspects, collecting evidence, and seeing to people's incarceration, which the man had done as expected; but trying to console him with those facts by one very astute queen had failed.

Also, Anders wasn't used to  _not_  being suspicious of Hans' motives. But in the end, the prince was glad to find that there was no feeling of contempt in his youngest brother's motivations and that the fear of having to witness Hans' execution at some point were proven unneeded. As Anders was happy to point out, Hans had a renewed sense of determination, albeit a desperate one. Kristoff was pretty sure Prince Anders' visits to Prince Hans' cell helped to develop that.

It was far better than the wild anxiousness that Kristoff observed before Anders' sudden visit. The younger prince always looked defeated lately, but at the very least, Hans was a lot less dangerous since the fear was now better-tempered.

Prince Anders' advice on how to deal with Hans helped to quell any uncertainty Kristoff felt at his new responsibility. He knew every tic and habit to look out for, every undertone in events that might point to Hans having a role in it. While the advice was useful, Kristoff couldn't help but feel like he was invading Hans' privacy in knowing this, despite Anders' assurances that it was fine and that many people already had such information on file in the Southern Isles since Hans was a convicted criminal.

Of course, knowing  _that_  didn't help with feeling intrusive.

In fact, the feeling that he was invading into his charge's personal life prevented him from asking any questions to ease the curiosity he felt about the dynamics between the Westergaard princes. The bubble of the mystery grew in Kristoff's waking thoughts.

It was the day before Anders' departure where Kristoff finally decided for that bubble to burst, else he would lose the opportunity.

"Why did Prince Hans hate you guys so much?" he asked suddenly when he was seated around the queen's dinner table. Anna almost dropped her fork at the question and the queen hesitated to take a bite of her meal. The questioned man sighed and wiped at the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

"It's a long story, one that spans throughout his whole upbringing," Prince Anders said, remorse laced in his words. "I guess I must say that it started when Father showed an extreme dislike towards him when he was a child."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"It wasn't. While all my brothers and I were so different from each other, so unique, Pieter and Hans were the exceptions. Pieter was so much like Mother: sensitive, emotional, protective, as matronly as one could be in the body of a man. Father loved Mother dearly, which is quite obvious considering how many children she bore him, and seeing those traits in such a male-predominant family caught his attentions. Pieter was the favored one since he so much resembled the woman he adored, proud to be the sire to someone who resembled the object of his affections. We all teased him for not being masculine enough, but Father didn't much care.

"With his other children he showed a begrudging sense of duty to be their paternal figure, but he acted like a true father to Pieter. Hans, on the other hand, was every bit Father. He was secretive, precocious, charismatic, severe, and strict. Hyper-critical with a knack for reading people. Even by physical appearances, Hans was essentially the embodiment of the late king in a child's body. My father's legacy in flesh and bone.

"I don't know why, exactly, Father hated Hans so much, but I know that this fact is connected somehow. Even as I am older, I can only speculate that Father feared Hans in a way. And with twelve other sons looking to him for guidance and attention, they emulated the sentiments. Father wasn't cruel, or excessively mean when treating Hans, but it was obvious in the way he spoke to him that the dislike was there. It also didn't help that Father more-or-less turned a blind eye to the mistreatment his twelve sons treated the thirteenth."

"That's…" Anna gasped, her disbelief flickering across her face. "How could anyone do that to their own children?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But I know why Hans hated  _me_  for so long. I'm every bit as guilty in this as everyone else in Hans' upbringing."

Kristoff pursed his lips, dreading the continuation of the story. From what it sounded like, none of the princes were without guilt. How sadly unsurprising.

Anders shook his head as if he was warding away dark thoughts before taking a sip from his glass and continuing, confessing in a smaller voice, "I used to beat him when I was approaching adulthood. The frustrations of trying to learn and train in my duties to take up the mantle of being head of police in my kingdom wore on me. I… thought it was  _okay_ , since I thought I saw the corruption my baby brother was going to fall into one day. The same corruption I saw in all the guilty criminals that I worked with on a daily basis. I thought was doing him a service by trying to ward away the wrongness I thought I saw in him. I was wrong." Then in a wavering whisper as his gaze went into the distance, "I was  _so_  wrong."

Kristoff jolted in his seat when the prince brought down an infuriated fist to pound against the table, jostling the silverware. Elsa and Anna sat still in shock. The air about the room fell a few degrees colder. It seemed Elsa wasn't liking the turn of events.

It was only out of curiosity and an almost-sadistic desire to know the man behind the many masks that was Hans that Kristoff continued to listen with rapt attention.

"The beatings by my hand ceased once I saw the error and irrationality of my ways," Anders said, voice renewed but now with a touch of frustration. "I begged for forgiveness, of course. But he wouldn't hear any of it. So then I just let him be. While he hated me, there at least was a mutual understanding of respect between the two of us, even more so when our interactions turned into a game of cat-and-mouse. There were many instances that I can remember where Hans would try to persuade and manipulate his way with the servants to get out of his duties. It's only now where I realize he did so because he thought his duties were futile. Why learn how to lead if there wasn't a role for him to fill? Anything short of having a kingdom of his own wouldn't fulfill his lofty aspirations. Someone as opportunistic as Father wouldn't settle for less, so why wouldn't Hans? But it doesn't change the fact that I would catch him, every single time, and forced him to constantly face the fact that all the training he was given would likely be a waste."

Anders sighed again and brought his hands to cover his face, a thumb ghosting the seam of a scar on his cheek.

"I was naïve to think that my former brutality with him would fall away to be forgotten in history." His voice was slightly muffled from the covering appendages. "Sadly, a few of the younger ones took up my example and would 'punish' him whenever he so much as  _seemed_  that he walked out of line. While it was rarely physical, it was cruel and unfair, nonetheless. Everyone saw him to be a future criminal, as I did.

"I guess the last straw was when three of them denied his existence for two years. The ones closest in age, no less. It was childish of them to do so, and Hans was very much aware of that fact. I guess that he was so used to having so much attention from his siblings, as negative that attention was, he didn't know what to make of it. Hans never did like irrationality and the lack of order, and I believe that's what drove him to genuinely hate Klaus in the end, since he was the most chaotic and irrational. And in turn, he slowly hated the rest of us. I think he essentially disowned his family at that point. In his mind, at least.

"So that's why he holds –  _held_ – a grudge against us for so long. We've wronged him. Little by little, we molded him to be the criminal we thought he would be, and ended up being. We wrenched away control over his own life in every way possible. While he isn't completely innocent in the subsequent events of your coronation, Your Majesty, his brothers are just as guilty, if not more."

"I'm… glad you told us this, Prince Anders," Elsa said, her uncovered hands folded on top of the table. Kristoff noticed the air had returned back to it's normal temperature, but the atmosphere about the queen was morose. "You didn't have to."

Anders shook his head vehemently. "No, Your Majesty. I had to. It's the least that I could do. If I can draw more people to the cause of helping Hans with words alone, I will do it. While his family failed him, hopefully strangers will succeed."

"We won't," Kristoff said, braving his voice. "At the very least,  _I_  won't. I promise you that, Prince Anders."

The prince directed his gaze to Kristoff, gratefulness and relief molded into the stare.

"Thank you," Anders said with a sad smile.

"Your Majesty!" a panting guard said as he burst through the dining room doors, interrupting the somber mood around the table. "I don't know how, but a group of prisoners escaped the dungeons! They're holding servants hostage! They demand to see you or else blood will be spilled tonight."

At this, the people seated at the table jumped to their feet, following the pleading guard. Elsa waved for a few more guards to accompany them, while Prince Anders' ever-present shadow of a bodyguard trailed behind them.

###

To say that Hans was displeased was an understatement.

He was grateful – ecstatic, even – to know that the queen saw him fit to be released from prison. The servants' wing was much more pleasing to the eye than the dungeons, and the room he was assigned to stay in was much homier than the stone cell he used to occupy. Adjusting to the role of being a servant to Arendelle's royalty went a lot smoother than he had hoped (there was no way he was allowed to just occupy a room in the castle without earning his stay there). Kristoff's hand in all of this didn't go unnoticed by the convict prince, and he felt that he was indebted to his "parole officer" for that.

Ever since the catastrophe his life had become, it was the first time that Hans dared to hope without the fear of it being ripped from him again. And it was blissful. The land that tormented him was also wonderfully absent in its desires for death.

Despite all this, the source – or more like sourc _es_  – of his displeasure came from the continued wariness the servants of the castle continued to show him. He couldn't really blame them, since they had good reason. He wanted to kill their queen, after all. It didn't change the fact that they were quite obvious in their intense dislike of having him around.

While the servants busied themselves with their responsibilities during the day, Hans could pretend to be ignorant of their mumbling. During dinner time, however, that's where the tension couldn't be avoided.

Tonight's meal wasn't going to be any different.

The food was much better than the meals he had gotten used to while being kept prisoner in the various dungeons he resided in since being sent home to the Southern Isles after his treachery. In fact, the thought of finally having the privilege of enjoying a palatable dish was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Well, not really, since Hans  _does not cry_. (Except for those few times where he was under great duress. And that single droplet for Anders didn't count.) The fact of the matter was, yes, he was overcome with emotion for the meal. Emotions that he would never let show on his face (in public).

Which brought up the matter that, since his release from the dungeon, he hadn't been able to get more than a few bites of food before retiring for the day. The tension around the servant's table was high enough for him to lose his want for food.

The chains still clinking against his wrists also didn't help with his appetite, either.

Kristoff assured him that the chains were temporary, as long as Hans cooperated and followed whatever orders the queen gave him, as well as whatever responsibilities the steward, Kai, bestowed upon him for the day. The chains would disappear, but the guards would still remain. And even the guards would be assigned to other duties should Hans' good behavior continue, but at a much later point in time.

And of course, Hans made the promise that good behavior would continue from here on out. He was desperate to get what he could out of a grim situation. If only he could convince others that he was genuine in that cause.

Hah,  _grim_. If the pixie knew about his happenstance choice of words to describe his condition, she would delight on hearing him call it "grim."

Sitting across from him as he ate that night was a servant that held most of the irritation that Hans felt for his new living arrangement. One who constantly gabbed and gossiped. And stared.

Stared in abject disapproval.

It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he didn't overhear her blathering on at the dinner table about how inappropriate it was that a prince would share company with a servant. Or that it wasn't polite to wear such filthy gloves to a dinner table. Or how indecent it was that a criminal would be considered equal to morally-good people like her and her fellow servants. "This isn't how things should be."

Of  _course_  it wasn't how things should be, but it didn't mean that she had to go ahead and twist the knife deeper by pointing it out all the time.

If it was only gossip, Hans knew he could learn to deal with it. The staring however, reminded him too much of the accusatory stares he used to get from his brothers. It seemed that, no matter where he went, the past was always out to haunt him in one form or another.

But he knew, for his reformation to appear genuine, he had to suffer in silence. Complaining wouldn't gain the respect that he so desperately wanted to gain, the respect that he lost in what felt like an eternity ago.

Hans stood from the table, ready to take the opportunity to escape the disapproving, gossip of a woman sitting before him. He was about to make his exit when he was knocked away by a group of large, burly men barreling their way in the room. There were seven of them, brandishing swords that glistened with already-spilled blood. The four guards posted to watch over Hans left his side to deal with the intruders, drawing their own weapons and calling out in alarm.

The guards were quickly subdued by the seven men, rendering two unconscious and gutting one to bleed out on the floor: outnumbered, and out-trained. They left the remaining guard to summon the queen, to tell her that they've got hostages and that many will die if she doesn't meet with them. That guard hastily scampered out of the door, likely to do what was told.

A few concerned servants rushed to aid the fallen guards, stuffing the wound with a few napkins for the one bleeding. The wounded guard wailed in pain.

Everyone else, Hans included, stood stock-still at the sudden unfolding of events.

"Listen up!" one of the captors called out as his accomplices gathered in a circle around the hostages in the room. "As long as your queen does what we want, none of you will die tonight." He looked to the fallen guard bleeding on the floor. He chuckled. "Most of you, at the very least."

Hans' mind raced with possibilities and observations, trying to make sense of the situation before it got worse.

Their attire suggested that they were prisoners. They likely escaped the dungeon, somehow. Considering that they were organized and their movements planned, they knew each other to an extent, enough to trust one another to carry out whatever hair-brained plan they seemed to have hatched. Given that Queen Elsa mentioned that only  _high-profile_  criminals were shipped to Arendelle, these people were likely to be  _extremely_  dangerous.

It didn't sit well in the pit of Hans' stomach when he noticed that there was blood dripping from  _all_  of their likely-stolen swords. It meant that they showed no remorse, that they had killed in the past, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Hans' observations screeched to a halt when the doors flew open and guards filed in, followed by Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Anders with his bodyguard. The escaped convicts each grabbed the nearest servant, holding their blades to their necks and threatening to draw blood. Hans was one of these unlucky captives, since he was so close to the convicts when they entered the dining room.

Anna rushed to the fallen guards, but was held back by Kristoff.

"Help  _them_ , or help this poor soul over here," one of the captors taunted, his hostage struggling in his grasp. The servant gasped and stilled when a small rivulet of crimson fell from her neck, eyes widening in fear.

Anna made no more attempts to help the guards on the floor. She looked to the servants who were already attending the fallen with pleading, apologetic eyes.

The queen stepped slowly, ever so carefully into the room. Elsa's gaze scanned the scene helplessly, and gasped when she realized that Hans was one of the few under the threat of a sword.

Why gasp for him? Shouldn't she be more concerned for the servants that were much for loyal to her? She couldn't possibly care more for  _him_  than any one of them.

Oh yeah, destruction from the land and pixies over his death. Almost forgot about that.

Also, where in the world did those thoughts that he was an object to the queen's concern come from? He knew he didn't deserve her pity. Such thoughts were irrational and shouldn't have popped out of nowhere.

"Ah, I take it that you're Queen Elsa," the convict holding Hans growled. "How wonderful that you've made it to my party." How coincidental that their ringmaster was the one specifically holding Hans hostage.

"Release all of them, and no one will get hurt," Elsa ordered.

" _I_  should be the one making threats to people's safety,  _Your Majesty,"_ the man hissed.

"Then what do you want?"

The escaped convict chucked, amusement playing in his tone, "Come here."

Slowly, Elsa inched her way to the man, halting her guards' advances with a straight palm. Her fingers flexed as snowflakes drifted around her. Seeing her display of magic, Hans' captor pressed the sword closer into his neck, biting into his skin. A pinch, and Hans could feel the warmth of his own blood trailing down the front of him. A minor wound, but it drove the point home.

"I wouldn't use any of that sorcery around me, if I were you. Wouldn't want this one to get hurt, no?" the captor taunted. "Or any of the others."

At this, his accomplices crept closer to their leader's position, wrenching their own captives along with them.

A cry, and a thud, and one of the servant's lives that was held at the end of a blade was cut short with a single slice. Another servant, one not in the grasp of a convict, leapt at the criminal responsible for the death, but was cut down with a wound to the chest. There were no further attempts at heroics after the display.

Elsa screamed in shock at the bloodshed, as did Anna and Kristoff, along with a few guards as well.

Hans closed his eyes, willing himself to think of a way out of this. Because that's what he was so good at in the past, right? To get out of situations not to his liking? To twist words and emotions to get people to do what get what he wanted?

He almost wished that his scythe was with him, because then he would at least have some kind of weapon. Almost-a-weapon. The fact of the matter was that the harvesting tool was currently stored in the nearby kitchen. And even if he were to command it to be in his possession, there was no way it would be able to pass through walls.

Wait, could it?

Taking a chance, Hans willed the scythe to come to him, but was rewarded with a loud  _thump_  that echoed into the room and the sudden urge to collapse to his knees in pain. He resisted, however, since doing so would drive the sword at his throat ever deeper. He allowed the faintest whimper of discomfort escape him.

Calling the scythe was not the brightest of ideas, but it was worth a shot.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw the slightest hint of amusement gracing Elsa's panicked face. Yup, she definitely knew what he tried to do. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), no one else in the room seemed to react to the sudden sound, so Hans resumed his rumination for a plan.

"Closer, my queen," the ringleader grunted.

Talk, that's what he should do. Words were easy for him to work with. Even if they didn't work, at least it could buy more time.

"How uncreative. Holding hostages? Please. I was able to have the whole kingdom at the palm of my hand with simple deception," Hans taunted.

"Quiet, unless you want to die like the others."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare. I'd be much more valuable to you alive. I'm just like you." Hans lifted his hands to show his captor the shackles enclosing them. "Whatever you're doing, I want in."

"Ah, a manipulator, eh? No need for your lot. I intend for this night to be one this kingdom will never forget. One that sends a message to all monarchies. Words mean nothing if actions would speak in greater volumes."

The maliciousness in the convict's tone sent shivers down Hans' spine. A message to monarchs? What did these people have in mind?

"What do you want with me?" Elsa asked, hesitant to move any closer to the escapee.

"Come closer, and I'll tell you."

"No, I will not."

"Then you risk another life."

Behind Hans, out of view, gasped a servant in terror. Elsa held out a hand, dread and horror twisting her expression. Hans anticipated another scream, another life cut short, but it never came.

Elsa stepped forward reluctantly. The guards in the room crowded to protect their queen, but were halted when the convict that killed the two servants a few moments ago sprung forward and placed his sword at her neck. The convict flashed a crazed smile at the guards, and withdrew the blade when they drew back.

"Now, was that so hard, Your Highness?" the ringmaster laughed.

"What are your demands?"

A guttural roar, and the convict cried, "Long live the Order!"

At this exclamation, the escaped convicts tossed aside their captives and grabbed at the queen. Hans slammed onto the ground, his head ringing when it hit the hard surface.

He looked on in horror at seeing the leader's sword swinging at the queen. A hint of relief dared to worm its way into his chest when Elsa shot an icicle at the weapon, knocking it out of its wielder's grip. The others adjusted their stances, avoiding the whips of magic flying from Elsa's fingers. They were skilled at dodging, but Elsa was fast enough to keep their weapons at bay.

The guards, seeing that the other servants were no longer in immediate danger, rushed in to help their queen. Many weren't able to draw their own weapons before they were cut down by the deft criminals endangering their ruler. Prince Anders drew his own weapon, finally putting his law enforcement training into action.

Hans knew his brother could have acted before all of this turned into chaos, but he knew that Anders wasn't a soldier. The lives of the innocents came before confronting the enemy. That's what Anders was taught to do. Well  _that_ , and taking down unruly citizens a few notches. Because of this, Anders wasn't so easily subdued. But the fight wasn't turning to his brother's favor. The criminals were too fast, too coordinated. What was originally an outnumbered match with the guards having the advantage quickly turned to an even bout. The convicts' skill to win uneven matches attested to their ability.

These criminals were trained.  _Deadly._  More dangerous than men who've devoted their lives to protect their monarch from dangerous people, like assassins.

From people like… Hans…

Hmm...

Hans could definitely help in this situation. What better way to mess with orderly criminals than to add another dangerous one into the mix?

He didn't want to admit it, but pulling off the glove that covered his hand felt like he was tearing off a limb with how much he dreaded to do it. But he felt that he needed to catch these people by surprise with something they likely never trained for.

Or anyone, for that matter.

Ignoring the welling anxiousness at feeling the nakedness of his palm, Hans grabbed the ankle of the nearest assailant when the criminal mistakenly drew close enough to where the prince lay. The wailing of agony that erupted from his victim had never sounded so sweet and so very  _wrong_  before. Sweet, because it created the intended domino effect of confusion and disorganization in the queen's attackers. But, oh,  _so wrong_  at how pleased the screams made Hans feel.

Hans was careful to pull his uncovered hand away and pull the glove over it when the guards subdued the criminals, taking advantage at the escapees' faltering control over the situation. Hans' victim continued to cry in terror and anguish as he writhed on the ground as a guard bound his limbs together.

 _So this is how a black soul looks like,_  Hans wondered to himself.  _I wonder how terrible he must have been to earn that._

The tormented convict's accomplices looked on at their teammate's plight, bewilderment and disbelief contorting their features as a dark, shadowy aura emanated around the tortured form.

"You've been very bad," Hans snarked as he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "It looks like I'm going to have to execute each of you anyway. There's no way you're not getting a guilty sentence after this. I thank each of you for your sacrifice." He saluted them sarcastically.

Elsa shot him an annoyed glare, and he visibly wilted under the gaze.

Yes, taunting the criminals like that was petty and was unbecoming of a reforming criminal. But he needed to say something, or else he would just fall deeper into hysterics over what he just did and endured. If there was a pattern to notice, it was that Hans avoided showing his true feelings whenever possible.

"You did good, Hans. You protected the queen on your own volition," Anders said, clamping a hand down on a shoulder. Hans noted the slight trembling in his brother's grip, but didn't make any indication that he noticed. "You acted like a hero tonight."

Hans looked around at the bodies littered around the room. The wounded guard that watched over Hans earlier appeared to have passed away during the altercation. The servants that perished from the convict's sword were surrounded by other servants and their anguished sobs. The bodies of the guards that died by the malicious criminals trying to protect their queen. Ten lives cut short.

A grim scene, but one that was sharply contrasted by the relieved moods among those that lived.

Anna and Kristoff looked to him in gratefulness, and a few servants graced him with nods of respect and awe that someone of his reputation would dare to act to protect their queen. Elsa smiled in appreciation, her face gentle as she tilted her head in approval, her earlier irritation gone. Even the remaining guards gave him a bow. The gabbing servant that annoyed Hans since working alongside her coworkers didn't stare at him in disapproval anymore.

And he was being called a hero by a brother who once believed him to be a villain.

The admiration that he desired for so long, that he felt that he  _deserved_ , and it was finally his. He wanted to bask in its glow, to let its promise of hope and renewal wash over him. It was he vowed to strive for, during his low point in the dungeon. He was  _desperate_  for it, but he knew it wasn't meant to be.

The very reason for the criminals being in Arendelle was because of  _him._

Hans was no hero, tonight. He was just as guilty as the men that caused this chaos to begin with. He was the cause of the bloodshed in the first place.

A hero? No, he was a villain, and forever would be. No matter how much he would try to run from that label, to escape its clutches that haunted his memories growing up, he would forever and ever be considered a monster. If not by his family, or by his former-enemies, then by himself.

"I'm heading to my quarters," Hans said, voice tight and monotone.

He didn't wait to see if guards would follow him. He just needed to get away from the stifling stares that praised his so-called "heroics."

The chains clattered against the floor as they dragged behind him, unattended. He didn't bother stopping by the kitchen to grab his scythe. If his neck wound bothered him, he made no show of it.

The convict's screams echoed after Hans as he made his exit.


	11. Vileness, Violence, and... Violins?

The following day, Prince Anders left for the Southern Isles. As much as he wanted to have one more moment alone with Hans before his departure, his requests were constantly refused.

"Only talk to me if you're going to say goodbye," Hans had said tersely. He didn't want to risk having to hear anymore remarks of his "bravery" from his brother if he could help it.

"Then it is goodbye," Anders had responded, dejected. "I will update our brothers of your new situation. Expect many correspondences from them upon my return, for I believe they'd want to be constantly posted on how things are going for you in Arendelle from now on. They were expecting me to bring back your corpse, or something to that effect. They'd be pleased to know how far you've come under the queen's care."

"I know."

And no more words were exchanged between them after that.

It was the day after Anders' departure where the call to sacrifice had reemerged – and the day where Hans exercised his new duties as executioner. His first "assignment" was to be the ringmaster-convict that held him hostage during the night where all those people were needlessly killed.

Hans studied himself in the floor-length mirror wearing the livery of Arendelle. It had been so long since he had last shaved his face and manicured the tresses of hair that flourished during his days in dungeons. By all outward appearances he was back to his old self, the image of a royal upbringing once again blatant in his features, albeit somewhat gaunt and pallid due to the lack of eating and sunlight. The vain part of himself would have relished the fact that, despite the catastrophe of being cursed and the stresses of having to learn to live with them, he still retained the handsome visage famously worn by his deceased father.

Of course, that proud and arrogant part of himself was much more silent compared to the inner voices of disgust and guilt that tore at his conscience.

After all, if beauty faded, what quality would Hans have left that he would be able to offer to the world once it did? Absolutely nothing. Even the traits that he once prided himself for: confidence, wit, resourcefulness; they were now utterly useless in his new purpose to kill and the new life he had to carve out around it.

However, the voice of the land was even more menacing and desiring for attention.

"You'll get your sacrifice. Just wait a few more moments," Hans said aloud, frustrated. He adjusted the new gloves given to him along with his uniform. They were of a lighter material, white, and slid across his palms insecurely since they haven't been worn in yet. He kept tugging them snug every so often due to his palms sweating and causing them to come  _dangerously_  loose. They were reminiscent of the gloves he would wear back when he was seen to be an "honorable prince."

Both were relics of days of falsehood: the ones he wore when he was "honorable," and the ones he wore now that he was seen as a "hero."

As soon as his executioner's duties were done, he would put the old ones on without a second thought. Though they were dirty, they were at least much more reliable and didn't lie about his current state. They didn't show any dignity, or status. They were as genuine as the genuine leather they were made of.

"Prince Hans, you are summoned to the courtyard," the guard waiting outside of his room said after two knocks on the door.

Hans' hands ghosted over his wrists where chained cuffs used to hang and dropped them, trying to break the habit of feeling for the restraints when they were still a part of his living arrangements. They were removed as a reward for his "heroics" while saving the queen. Even the number of guards were reduced from four to one, a shadow that seemed much too relaxed being around a dangerous criminal like Hans. The guard even tried to make small talk with the prince every once in a while, efforts which were always ignored.

The guard supposed his lack of conversation might have been due to Hans seeing himself as superior, which the guard readily accepted since Hans was still considered to be royalty. However, such suppositions were wrong. Hans just didn't want to bring himself to get attached to someone who could easily end up being another victim to the curse, similar to the reason why he avoided conversation with Kristoff.

In fact, everyone in the castle was too at-ease with Hans around since the day the convicts escaped. It was as if the past was suddenly forgiven by that fateful night.

Did they not know that Hans was even more a danger to their safety than before?

"I am ready," Hans said as he stood in front of the door. The guard unlocked the door from his side and hinged the door ajar.

###

How fitting that the first execution by his hand was to be a public one. Let everyone see the terror, the scourge that Prince Hans was to the kingdom of Arendelle.

Queen Elsa was aloft on her balcony watching the crowd, Princess Anna standing beside her. Kristoff stood next to the guard that shadowed Hans in the courtyard, his face settled on a neutral expression as he held the wrapped scythe in his hands. The condemned convict was handled by more guards, raised up on a platform with his back facing the crowd, a rope gag around the man's mouth to prevent speaking. Hans stood in front of the criminal, completing the arrangement as he faced the audience with a sheet of paper raised to his face. On it was the criminal's judgment.

Hans ignored the murmurings of the crowd. He knew that they were talking about him, but he wasn't sure if their mutterings were in his favor or not. They knew of his treachery towards the kingdom, but news of his actions two nights ago had also spread throughout the people. They likely were arguing their stances about Hans.

But he couldn't linger on those thoughts for long because there was a job he needed to finish.

"Frederick Frandsen," Hans started, reading from the paper in his hands. "You have been accused and proven guilty of conspiracy against the Crown of Arendelle and have been accused and proven guilty of sixty-seven separate counts of murder and assassination." Hans peered over the paper at the convict in disbelief.  _Sixty-seven?_  The condemned criminal gave him a triumphant grin.

Hans turned to the sheet of paper again, "You have been charged with creating and leading an illegal organization with intent to terrorize and overthrow the establishments of the Law and the Crown. By order of the Queen of Arendelle and her Royal Council, you have been hereby sentenced to death for your crimes. You are not given the privilege of making any last statements."

The wicked man sneered at the executioner, a low growl forming around the gag. His eyes were murderous and threatening.

_Don't speak to the criminal, don't speak a single word outside of the script._

Hans willed his face to betray no reaction as he stared into the wicked man's eyes and finished the procedure in a practiced voice, "May God have mercy on your soul."

Cued by these words, Kristoff unwrapped the scythe and handed it up to Hans. He grabbed the tool and let it rest against the crook of his arm as he pulled off a white glove, forcing back the welling fear whenever he felt air touching his hand's exposed skin.

The smug expression on the condemned melted away when Hans reached out with the uncovered hand and touched the center of his brow.

The rest of the procedure went without any issues.

The convict collapsed in pain when Hans hid away his hand once more inside the glove. Just when the man's growl was about to transform into an agonized whine, his life was cut short by one swift stroke of the shadow-glowing blade of the scythe. The crowd gasped in shock, their earlier mutterings silenced by the display.

There, the deed was done. The man didn't suffer, and Hans resisted the urge to talk back to him, as Elsa had requested. Humanity was given another temporary reprieve from the land. The only consolation he had was that there wasn't any bloodshed at this death and that he wouldn't go land-crazy anytime soon.

"He's a freak," one of the villagers gasped in front of him. "Vile devil-spawn."

"He's a monster," another said aloud.

Good, they weren't blind to what Hans was. All the better for their safety.

###

Hans hadn't yet changed out of the uniform, save for changing into the old working gloves the princess gave him, when he returned to his other duties as a servant of Arendelle. He was in the middle of dusting the sitting room when he noticed, out the window, Kristoff and Anna in the courtyard below. The two were having a leisurely stroll around the cobblestone.

Kristoff strummed a lute with his lips moving in song as Anna gave him a meek, bashful smile, her hand hiding a fit of giggling. The scene was a stark contrast to the earlier sepulchral events during the public execution in the very same courtyard. If one didn't know any better, it was as if it never happened.

Hans could faintly hear the blond's voice carry into the room.

Ugh, a sappy love-struck song. Apparently Kristoff wasn't above such humiliation.

Hans couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy witnessing the scene, however. It wasn't that he vied for the admiration from either of the two lovebirds below, it was the fact that they were able to live so happy and free despite all the danger that was around them – that lived in the same castle with them. The two would defy any storm of calamity,  _together._

They were living their "happily ever after" while Hans would continue to be miserable.  _That_  was why Hans was jealous. Hadn't  _he_  worked so hard to make a life for himself? Hadn't  _he_  pushed and clawed his way to that freedom that he was so close to attaining?

No, no, no. The way he went about it was incorrect, that is what made him the villain. That is why he would never experience the simple joys the couple outside the window shared together. The life he lived now was what he deserved.

Except... it wasn't. He deserved to continue to rot away in a cell, to be chained up for the rest of his life, released only to assuage the land's temper just for the sake of sparing the good people of humanity. He didn't deserve the chance of ever living a somewhat-normal life the queen had allowed him in serving her people as an official executioner. The  _trust_  that everyone in the castle had so freely given to him was completely uncalled for.

The fear and anger the people had expressed during the execution was the correct way to go about it. Why couldn't anyone else pick up on that?

"Hello, Prince Hans," the queen's voice sounded behind him.

Hans straightened, as did the guard that followed him around, as her footsteps resonated closer to where he stood. He turned around to face her, setting aside the duster he was using, and gave her a respectful bow.

"Your Majesty," Hans sputtered in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you intended to be here at this time. I'll move onto my other respons–"

"No, it's fine. I was looking for you, after all." She glanced to a corner of the sitting room. "Prince Anders had mentioned that you used to play."

Confused and not really understanding the queen's purpose for seeking him out, Hans turned his gaze to the corner of the room Elsa directed her attention to. Sitting in the corner of the room was a brown, parlor-grand pianoforte, waiting to be dusted. Somehow, the incredibly large object had completely escaped his notice.

Then again, he always did have an intense dislike of the instrument.

"I used to," Hans confirmed. "I don't believe he mentioned how much I hated it."

"Oh, he did. All of your brothers hated it. Though he did say that you were pretty good, back then."

"Compared to him? Of course he would say that. He never did get the idea that it was possible to play  _softly._  And  _especially_  compared to Holger. He just didn't put any effort into  _trying_  to practice."

"He also mentioned that you enjoyed 'creatively messing up' your performances," Elsa laughed and sighed wistfully. "It's a shame that you don't play anymore. Anna's been wanting me to play a duet with her, but I never did get to learn due to…" She waved her fingers in a small circle, conjuring a few flakes of snow to fall from her fingertips for emphasis. "Circumstances."

The faint tenor of Kristoff's voice wafted softly into the room.

"It seems that she found someone who would be more than able to accompany her, if she ever wanted to perform," Hans noted.

"A lute and a piano? Don't you think that's… non-traditional?"

Hans shrugged. "I never performed pieces 'traditionally' myself. If I didn't raise an angry mob of music fanatics at ruining my performances, I'm sure Princess Anna and Mister Bjorgman would be fine."

Why was the queen so casual around him? What was her purpose for being here?

…and why in the world was he not  _more_  suspicious about it?

"You should take up the hobby again. I heard that it can take your mind off things," Elsa said. "Maybe even perform a proper duet with Anna if she's ever up to it."

Even more perplexed, since he wasn't sure what she meant by the suggestion, Hans said hesitantly, "I can't. There's the problem with dexterity…" He trailed off, looking down at his gloved hands before returning his attention to the queen.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I forgot," Elsa said. Her face fell in disappointment.

For some reason, Hans didn't like that expression on her and amended quickly, "But I think I can take up the violin again. I think I'll be fine with one hand without a glove. If that's okay with you, of course."

A smile returned to the queen's face at the addendum. "There's one in storage that can be brought out for you to practice with, whenever you so desire."

And with that, the queen left the room without another word.

"It's either Her Majesty has grown fond of you lately," Hans' shadow of a guard quipped when the monarch was away from the room and out of earshot. "Or she really wants to hear more music played around the castle. If it's the latter, I agree. These halls are rarely graced with the joys of music. Makes them empty. It doesn't suit the pleasant, lively natures of the queen and princess."

Though he didn't make any outward indication, Hans' heart skipped a beat at what the guard said. The way the man said it, it was likely the absent-minded drivel that the guard was prone to. He didn't  _really_ mean his observations of fondness.

Queen Elsa growing  _fond_  of Hans? Preposterous! He wanted to kill her for her kingdom!

But… it would explain her obvious concern for him. Her wants to get him out of the dungeon. Her excessive worry for him when he was a hostage. Her desires to seek him out, personally, instead of sending for him. Her never-ending kindness and mercies. Things that he would've used to his own advantage, since they were weaknesses that were strangely…  _attractive_  now.

Even more strange was that… Hans was growing fond of the queen, as well, now that he thought about it.

His thoughts didn't turn to vengeance whenever she entered his mind. He wanted to save her from the escaped convicts. The weird feeling of guilt when it seemed that his reluctance to take up the old, hated skill of playing an instrument again disappointed her.

As irrational as it was, the queen had somehow twisted his views of her upside down. His once-hated enemy was now seen as a benevolent ally.

No, no, that wasn't the right word.

A friend? But that didn't feel quite right either. They haven't conversed enough to quite know each other enough for that. For all he knew, Elsa's actions could even be based simply on the fact that she was trying to appease a beast in a way. The "beast," in this case, being the land that had a deep-seated anger towards mankind. Ergo, if Hans was satisfied, then there was a lesser chance for him to slip into madness and kill everyone, right?

Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't going to develop into whatever connection the couple out on the courtyard shared.  _That_  was something entirely outside of his reach, that's for certain.

###

Completely oblivious to the prince's torn feelings regarding Queen Elsa, said monarch directed her attention to a servant she happened upon in the hallways.

"There is a violin in storage somewhere. Can you send it to Prince Hans' quarters?" she asked the maid.

"With due haste, Your Majesty," the maid said with a curtsy and passed by the queen to disappear into a nearby room.

Satisfied, Elsa made her way to her study, ready to sift through the piles of letters and reports that were sent to her that day. She barely settled herself at her desk to read the first report when Anna bounded in tugging Kristoff behind her into the room.

"Elsa! Oh—" Anna said, stopping in front of the queen's desk. "Sorry, I'll ask you when you aren't busy."

"No, you can stay, I can do both," Elsa said, scanning through the report in her hand. A kingdom requesting more lumber in preparation for the colder months; not a problem, since there was enough excess that Arendelle could spare this year. She gestured to a pair of chairs nearby before grabbing a quill and some paper. "Sit, it really isn't a bother."

Anna joyously plopped herself into one of the chairs while Kristoff more subduedly took his seat.

"So I was thinking the kingdom should have a talent showcase during our wedding! That way, everyone can have a way to feel like they're involved, and there would be entertainment, and oh, it would be so much fun!" Anna chattered excitedly.

"I-If it isn't too much work, of course," Kristoff said, nervous. "The two of us can plan the whole event, even hold auditions to make sure the performers are capable."

Elsa mulled over the idea as she wrote out her response to the letter. With all the events tied to instilling Hans as the executioner, she almost forgot about her sister's wedding, which was a few months away. She was fortunate to have delegated a team of planners for the event, since it would have likely escaped her attentions until the date was nearly upon them.

A talent show would be nice, and befitting of everything that encompassed Anna's character: fun, entertaining, light-hearted, and involving the kingdom's populace. It wouldn't be too hard to find people willing to volunteer, and it would also showcase the various facets of culture for visitors from other kingdoms and countries.

Maybe she'd be able to convince Hans to join in on the performance. His gloomy demeanor as of late indicated that he needed some sort of creative, constructive outlet. Seeing him hold it all inside wasn't healthy.

It might even raise him into a better light for her people. The gawking and looks of protests she saw in the crowd during the execution didn't escape her notice. If they could at least see him on a platform in front of the people  _not_  doing anything as unsavory as performing an execution, they might start to tolerate him more. Or at least see him as a person, not a monster.

Yes, she was aware of the special attention she was giving to the prince, and she didn't try to hide it. She was only trying to be friendly. After all, when Elsa was going through her forced isolation, all she needed was a caring and friendly person to reach her. Why wouldn't Hans react any different to such advances?

Kristoff was certainly trying, but he lacked a sense of when to try to break the barriers, and when to rebuild. The ice harvester –  _parole officer_ , but that was only a temporary job since it ended when Prince Hans was deemed reformed – meant well, but he didn't quite empathize to the level that Elsa could. Of course, a neutral third party was absolutely needed, and Elsa knew that she and her sister couldn't fill that role.

She wouldn't ever say it in as many words out loud, since it would embarrass everyone involved, but she was seeing the lost, lonely, scared girl she used to be incarnated into Hans. The one whose actions led to freezing her entire kingdom.

…which led to Hans acting the way he was. And the catastrophe that the trolls warned about solidified the fact that history was going to repeat itself.

"Sometimes, it takes a disaster to build a better person," her mother once said to her. They were words meant to help lessen the blow of keeping the secret of her powers from Anna, to lessen the blow of how much she hated herself for putting Anna in danger. But it was much later where she discovered that the words rang true, though probably not in the way her parents had expected. It took freezing her kingdom to see how much her sister loved her despite closing her out for over a decade, and in turn freed her of the fear of her own powers.

Big events cause bigger changes. Who knew if Hans would ever redeem himself if something terrible like this didn't happen?

But that didn't sit well with her. Dwelling on "what if?" never helped her to move forward.

"I think it's a great idea," Elsa responded, dabbing the excess ink on the page.

"Really? Oh thank you so much, Elsa! I'll make sure it's the best show ever!" Anna said giddily, clapping her palms together. "C'mon Kristoff! Let's go find some talent!" She made a grab for her fiancé's arm, tugging playfully as she stood from her chair to leave. Kristoff laughed good-naturedly but stayed seated.

"Hang on, Anna," he said with a smile. "I need to talk to the queen about something."

"Alright." The princess hopped back to the chair, reseating herself.

"I heard that you spoke to him briefly," he directed to Elsa.

"Yes," Elsa said, preparing the wax seal for her letter.

"He's not doing well. Isn't he?"

She held the royal signet on the wax a bit longer than needed when she sighed, "Not really."

"I thought that releasing him would help, but I keep getting the feeling that it wasn't a good idea in the end. It's like he's closed off completely now, instead when in the cell he was starting to open up a bit."

"What do you suggest?"

"Maybe… talk to him a bit more? I'm not really good with, uh, people like him. He still restrains himself from having a real conversation with me."

"And I'm not really used to casual conversations. I can't think of anyone he's been able to reveal anything of himself to…"

Queen Elsa and Kristoff looked to the red-haired princess lounging on her chair.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Anna asked, confused and doe-eyed.

###

Just because she gave him some gloves to wear did  _not_  mean that they were "buddy-buddy" all of a sudden. Yeah, she said sorry, and it was understood that she would no longer antagonize him since he was genuine about not wanting to hurt anyone. Stopping the blood-bath that happened a few days ago made her a little less paranoid about him wandering about the castle, too.

But she  _still_  didn't forgive him for wanting to kill Elsa, or for leaving her to freeze to death. Or manipulating everyone just so he could have his own kingdom. A maniac like that would  _never_  be a friend of hers.

That's not what they wanted, though. They wanted to make sure he was okay.

 _For the kingdom. I'll only do it for the kingdom,_ Anna reminded herself. _Princess first before personal feelings._

However, their request for her to see what's going on in Hans' head wasn't urgent, so she didn't actively seek him out. She waited for an opportunity to present itself naturally.

Well… sort of. She didn't  _mean_ to look for him, she was just curious about where the music was coming from. She didn't know that any of the servants were trained to play the violin, so of course she wanted to see. Plus, the music sounded so  _sad_ , she wanted to ask the violinist to liven it up a bit. Because of this, Princess Anna found herself in the servants' wing close to everyone's time of repose, wanting to find out who the mysterious musician was.

She shouldn't have been surprised to see that it was  _Hans_  playing the instrument. After all, Prince Anders did off-handedly mention that  _all_  the Westergaard princes were musically trained to some degree.

Hans was…  _alright_  in his performance, but it wasn't really anything remarkable. The notes were  _way_  too shaky. Some servants were gathered around him, watching, enjoying the music regardless. The performer didn't looked too pleased at being the center of attention, but he didn't make any indication of that other than the frustrated furrow of his brow.

Now that she was here, might as well strike up a conversation and fulfill her sister's and her fiancé's wishes.

"Hello," Anna said, causing the servants to look in her direction and acknowledge her entrance with bows and 'Your Highnesses.' Hans offered a nod, but continued playing the piece he was in the middle of performing. She respectfully watched, keeping silent as the music came to an end.

Was it just her, or did his playing get a  _little_  more wavy when she entered?

The servants filed out of the room, returning to their own quarters for the night, leaving the two royals in the room alone (Hans' guard-follower staying with them, of course).

She noticed that one of his gloves were off and stepped back, anxious.

"Uh… your…" she said, pointing to the exposed hand. His eyes widened at noticing this and scrambled to find the missing article of leather in his coat pockets. He set down the wooden instrument in its case nearby before gingerly encasing his hand in the glove.

"Sorry. I forgot that it was off," Hans explained, playing off his earlier panic with a suave smile.

Ugh, he kept reminding her of that snake during Elsa's coronation whenever he did that.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, referring to the violin at his feet.

"Queen Elsa. She suggested that I practice. To 'take my mind off of things,' as she said."

"And why would she do that?"

The faint blush that tinged his cheeks for a fraction of a second didn't escape her notice, but he continued to act as if it never happened.

"You know how kind Queen Elsa is. I think she's just concerned for my mental health, since I'm not really allowed outside of the castle's walls. I'm thinking that she believes that giving me a creative outlet is a good alternative. After all, if I go genuinely crazy, there's no stopping me from killing everyone, right?"

"I guess that's true," Anna said, trying to act calm and  _not_  give into her temper at the off-handed remark about murder. "But I thought your brother said you hated playing an instrument."

There, another flash of a blush, gone again in an instant.

"I do. And having all the servants ogle me as I perform doesn't make it any better. Reminds me too much of the recitals I was forced to take part in."

"But why do it now? You could have just ignored my sister and do whatever else you do in your free time."

"I thought that, perhaps, this time would be different. There's no harm in that, right?"

"No." Knowing that she wouldn't get anything else out of him, since a Prince Hans being illusive was something she couldn't pull information from, she waved him away, "Go get some sleep."

After packing the violin away, the man and the guard that followed him left the room. The scythe was toted behind him.

Looking at her surroundings, Anna realized that the room was a repurposed storage room, changed to allow the servants of the castle to have a place to convene and enjoy one another's company. Why would Hans willingly bring himself to a place that was set aside for "mere commoners?"

And why was he blushing? She didn't really bring up anything  _embarrassing,_ right? Why would he remove a glove, despite being all panicky and anxious without them on? Why would he willingly do things he didn't like to do, just because Elsa asked him nicely?

Her eyes widened at a possibility.

Was he… having a  _crush_  on Elsa?

She needed to talk to her sister about this. Like, right  _now._

She stifled a yawn behind a hand.

Okay, she would talk to Elsa about this in the morning. That sounded more to her liking.


	12. Change in Attitude

First thing in the morning, Hans reported to Kristoff for his "daily behavior review," their meeting being held in the stables. The location was chosen due to Hans having to brush the many equines held there for his first assignment of the day, as well as Kristoff wanting to see Sven, since the reindeer was being kept there during the night.

Also, Kristoff kinda wanted the two to meet each other, though he didn't voice this out loud.

He looked at the notes that Kai had given him detailing the various comments the servants around the castle had regarding his parolee before said man approached the stables, singular guard in tow with Hans' ever-present scythe.

Yeah, dangerous, but not as dangerous risking the prince's sanity without it around, right? Besides, the man didn't seem to have any intentions of using it outside of executions. It was fine.

"Sleep well?" Kristoff asked Hans.

"Yes," came the nonchalant reply.

"His Highness didn't want to get out of bed this morning," the guard teased. "He was a sobbing mess when I went to unlock his room. Of course, he'll just deny it."

Hans glared angrily at the guard but said nothing.

"Any reason why?" the blond asked, directing the question for either of them to answer.

The guard shrugged. The prince sighed, resigned.

"Just miserable. Nothing else to say about it," Hans grumbled with rolled eyes.

Sensing that it was a subject that he wasn't able to gain anymore information from, Kristoff leafed through the statements in his hands and set his jaw.

"No complaints about you yesterday, which is good," Kristoff observed out loud. "Followed the execution procedures as requested. You even did your other responsibilities without complaints." He set the statements aside and clapped a congratulatory hand on Hans' shoulder. "Good job." The two of them flinched at the friendly gesture. Kristoff drew his hand away, embarrassed. Hans' lips pursed in discomfort.

"Thank you," Hans stated, voice strained.

Kristoff coughed into his hand awkwardly, "So… stables..."

"Yes."

Something nagged at Kristoff, urging him to find out more about what the guard said, even though he knew it would be a futile attempt. Something related to everything his troll family taught him. It was like warning bells were ringing at Hans' strange attitude.

Then, a small twitch of the eyebrow. A subtle tic that Prince Anders had warned him about. Pressing the issue would get answers, if he guessed right.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sure I don't  _want_  to talk about it, but considering how you're trying to pester me for more details, I'm also sure that I  _need_  to talk about it."

His hunch was correct, then. "Look, I don't want to bother you if you don't want to—"

Hans held up a hand, cutting him off. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You're concerned about me, as well as Queen Elsa. That's why you two sent Princess Anna to speak with me. Ah-ah, don't say anything." Kristoff was about to explain himself but was cut off once again by the prince. "Subtleties are…  _were_  my forte, remember? Since I'm not willing to divulge any information regarding the goings-on in my head to either two of you, and considering that Princess Anna has been successful multiple times in the past for letting my guard down, who else would you send? And it was obvious that it was under the influence of the two of you that she would converse with me, since she has tried to avoid interacting with me beforehand."

"Yes, I'll admit that we did that, but… We want to help you, but we can't know the best way to do it if we don't really know what's going on."

"And what do you think is going on?"

"You've suddenly closed yourself up. You were a lot more talkative when you were in the dungeon, though a bit temperamental. And you seemed happier once you were out of the cell. Things were going so well. You weren't causing any problems, and you were making good on the promise that you were trying to fix yourself. Now you're just—"

"Just answer the question."

"You're miserable. We all can see that. Won't you tell us  _why_  you're miserable? So we can change things around to make it more bearable?"

Hans' crestfallen face suggested that Kristoff said something wrong. But why, when all everyone had done was try to be accommodating? Understanding, even? Fewer people were walking on eggshells since he stopped the attackers a few nights ago. Shouldn't the guy be happier?

"Must all of you do this for me?" Hans whispered to himself, so quietly that Kristoff almost didn't catch it. Then, as sudden as lightning crackles across the sky, Hans' face cycled through sadness, resignation, and finally fury as he graveled out, much louder, much more menacing, "I'm dangerous."

Kristoff yelped in surprise at the punch that impacted his stomach, causing him to double over in pain. Seeing that the prince was winding up for another hit, Kristoff ducked out of the way, causing the fist to fly straight into the side of the stables. Hans winced in pain, but drew his other hand back to attempt another strike.

The punch flew wide, giving Kristoff the chance to deflect it and hold the smaller man's arm in place. Hans twisted out of his grip, a lithe motion that Kristoff wasn't prepared for, and landed a strike in his ribs.

While he had a rather high tolerance for pain, Kristoff knew that he would feel that one tomorrow. Ow. Yes, he could easily break a few bones due to the amount of muscle he possessed. However, the prince grew up with twelve older brothers  _and_  knew how to wield a sword. The latter was more experienced with fights. So of  _course_  that was going to hurt.

Since it seemed that Hans wasn't going to end his assault anytime soon, Kristoff knew he had to find a way to stop it. Preferably in a way that would leave both of them relatively unscathed. He knew his own strength, and exchanging a few blows from his own fists might actually cause real damage to the other man.

"Fine, want it that way?!" Kristoff grit out through clenched teeth, trying to ignore his screaming ribs. He threw himself at the prince, tackling him to the dirt and pinning his auburn head to the floor. "Won't you just cool down? What's gotten into you?" Hans grappled with the hands holding his head down, but wasn't able to free himself. "Do you  _want_  to go back to the dungeon?"

"A monster belongs in the dungeons, so yes," was the smooth reply.

"Seriously?" Kristoff hoisted Hans by his lapels and shoved him against the stable wall, an audible  _thud_  coming from the impact. "Is that's what this is about?"

Hans squinted his eyes, yellow-green boring into Kristoff's chocolate-brown. He grinned deviously, words dripping with contempt, "Your words suggest that you are beginning to understand, but your eyes say otherwise." The pinned man hummed to himself. "How else should I convince you?"

Before Kristoff could react, Hans pulled a glove off his hand and pressed the uncovered palm into the center of his chest. He dropped the prince from his grasp and backed away in fear. He fell to his knees when the curse washed its effect over him.

What was going on? He thought that Hans was changing! Wasn't he? Or was he played a fool like everyone had initially feared? Why would he avoid hurting him in one moment, and willingly torture him the next?

Kristoff couldn't help but feel like he made a terrible error in his judgement.

The guard, seeing how badly things escalated, tossed aside the scythe and moved to intervene, but was stopped with a threatening, exposed finger from Hans pointed in his direction.

"Don't come any closer," Hans threatened. Through the tears of pain, Kristoff was able to see how much the prince's hand shook. The guard, face filled with worry and alarm, ran to the castle, likely to call for backup.

Kristoff's attacker kneeled down next to him, glaring haughtily at his tormented state. It didn't escape Kristoff's notice that Hans looked to be on the verge of tears, or how his next words didn't hold the resolve that one would have expected from someone willingly torturing another.

"Do you see now? A man like me can't be trusted. A man like me isn't allowed to live outside of a prison cell. A man like me can  _never_  change," he monotoned, though it was obvious that Hans didn't quite accept the words he was saying.

If Hans was going to kill him, why wasn't he doing it yet?

Kristoff eyed the harvesting tool laying on the ground, terrified that the other would pick it up and finish things. Hans turned his attention to it as well.

Seeing it made Hans break down into tears and sob softly.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," the prince gasped, the anger and violence from earlier melting away, leaving him as vulnerable as Kristoff currently was. It was then that Kristoff knew that the attack was a part of an act, a façade of sorts. "I'm horrible. I deserve to be punished for this. I can't…" His green eyes trailed to the hand that was still free from the confines of a glove. Slowly, he inched his hand closer to his own chest, as if he was reluctant about what he was doing.

Was Hans going to…? Oh, no he won't!

Kristoff, using all the willpower he could to force his body to move instead of curling in on itself in reflex, grabbed Hans' wrist and pinned it to the ground. He didn't care if his hand was touching Hans' cursed one. There was  _no way_  he would let anyone torture themselves like that. Besides, Kristoff was still currently a victim to the curse. What more a few more painful moments?

"Put. The. Glove. On," Kristoff grunted, tightening his grip on the prince's wrist.

Shocked, Hans obeyed, tears still streaking down his face.

Kristoff let go when he was sure Hans wouldn't attempt to do something as  _stupid_ as that again. The two of them were still, waiting for Kristoff to return to normal.

It was surprising how much willpower Kristoff never knew he had, since he was able to keep himself relatively silent and keep his dignity intact without giving into the urge to cry out in pain. The freedom from the agony couldn't have come sooner enough.

Yeah, it was time for an intervention.

###

"So… I talked a bit with Hans the other night," Anna said as she and her sister sat to a table to eat their breakfast, as was their daily custom.

"Oh?" Elsa asked, surprised that Anna had been able to find a moment to speak to him so soon, despite her obvious reluctance to do what was suggested of her.

"Yeah, I don't think I found out anything behind his gloomy attitude. You know how he is. But I did find out…  _something._ "

"So what did you guys talk about?"

"Only about how much he hates the violin and that I found it weird that he'd do it just because you asked him to."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and every single time I caught him saying something that didn't add up, he would blush like crazy!"

"Really."

"Yes! Really! Elsa, I think Hans might have a crush on you."

The spoon in the queen's hand dropped at her sister's candor, clattering into the steaming teacup in front of her.

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked slowly.

"Yeah, I mean, why would  _you_  go through torture just because someone else asked you?"

"If the person was you? Because I care about you. Everyone else, I guess the same thing, but maybe a little less, admittedly."

"Exactly! Don't you think that's a  _little_  suspicious?"

"That could just mean that he's being less selfish."

"You and I know that's not likely. Sure, he might've changed a lot over the weeks, but  _come on_. No one willingly goes through all that unless love was involved, and so quickly, too. 'Cause without it, all that's  _impossible_ , now that I think of it."

Hans… having a crush on her? Why did this happen?  _How_ did this happen?

She hoped that she wasn't leading him on in any way by being nicer to him lately. She didn't feel the same way.

…right?

"What do you think should I do about it, Anna?" Elsa said, looking to her little sister for help.

"That depends. Do you…  _like_  him?"

"…Maybe?"

"Maybe!?"

"I don't know! I don't have experience with these kinds of situations." She hid her face in her hands. "I grew up learning how to run a kingdom, I'm terrible when it comes to personal relationships."

"Then what did your training say about suitors?"

"Anna, he's not a suitor. He hardly qualifies as one."

"Just  _pretend_ , okay? Maybe we might be able to come up with something."

"Okay, well… the man has to have concerns to better the kingdom, and he has to be capable to act on that, of course."

"Anything else?"

"I guess the rest goes to personal preference – but  _Anna,_ he's not my type. He's… too secretive."

"Then you need to tell him that."

"But I also don't want to upset him. What if he gets worse? I'm responsible for whatever happens to him from now on, and I don't want to mess up everything because of this."

"Oh… right…"

Hurried footsteps echoed outside the corridor where the sisters were situated. The two women exchanged glances and stood up to peer outside the door.

Elsa saw that there were guards rushing to the end of the hallway, hands at the ready near their swords.

"What's happening?" she asked a guard that she pulled aside.

"I'm not sure. There seems to be a fight that broke out, but Sir George was too spooked to say anything more," the guard said.

George… that's the guard she assigned to watch over Hans. Seeing the look on Anna's face, Elsa knew that her sister came to the same realization.

"That guy seriously has a knack for interrupting our meals," Anna grumbled under her breath as she took off in the direction the guards were running. Elsa huffed a breath in exasperation and joined her.

_Please, don't let it be anything bad._

###

"Calm down everyone! It's just a little friendly rough-housing, okay?" Kristoff said, waving off the guards that advanced at the distraught prince next to him.

"Oh my… Kirstoff!" Anna called, parting her way through the uniformed men and falling in to embrace her fiancé, worried. "What happened to you?"

Kristoff dusted the dirt off his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair, hoping to hide his own disheveled appearance.

"Not now, Anna. Can you please get these guys to back off a bit? I need to get Hans to his room."

"What's going on?"

Kristoff sighed and cupped his beloved's face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm fine, Anna. We need to talk about this somewhere a bit more private."

"Kristoff! Hans! What is the meaning of this?" Elsa called out, her presence parting the guards in half.

"It's something that needs to be discussed with Hans. In his chamber. As soon as possible – I mean,  _now._ " Kristoff hated acting like he had any form of authority over the queen, but if his instincts were correct, he hoped that Elsa would forgive the disrespect.

Well, considering the person that she was, it likely escaped her notice.

Fortunately, the fact that he was pressing for time was noted, for Elsa waved the guards away and beckoned for everyone else to follow.

The various ailments of the human mind and spirit raced through Kristoff's thoughts, subjects taught to him as he grew up with the trolls. Though, such knowledge was rather incomplete, since he didn't have the same ability as his family to cure them. Oh, if only he paid attention more to their symptoms, maybe he would've noticed the sudden breakdown sooner.

Was it homesickness? No, Hans wasn't antsy enough for that.

Could it be paranoia? Hmm… probably, but it didn't quite fit right.

Jeez, something was  _definitely_  not stable about Hans, since the warning bells kept ringing about  _something_  he wasn't getting. The advice given to him from Anders certainly alluded it that.

Kristoff almost didn't notice that they were situated in the small servant's room that Hans had called his own for the past few weeks, the nudge in the ribs from Anna waking him from his thoughts. He groaned slightly, the spot where she prodded being the exact place he received the punch.

Hans was still visibly distressed, and looked as if someone so much as poked him, he would crumble into pieces. It disturbed him that, once again, the prince wasn't making any attempts to cover up his vulnerability. At least he wasn't crying like earlier. It would just make the scene around him even harder to handle.

"Okay, who wants to start off by saying  _what in the world just happened?_ " Anna asked, erratic gestures emphasizing her words.

"I think… I had a nervous breakdown," Hans admitted in a small voice.

_Oh, so_  that's  _the term that I was looking for. Good going for forgetting that one, Kristoff._

"I'll say," Kristoff mumbled, unable to resist the urge to make the comment. He sighed, remembering the close call where Hans willingly wanted to punish himself for hurting Kristoff. From the very start, he  _knew_  nothing was going to be easy when it came to dealing with the criminal prince. Well, it wasn't really necessary to call him that, now, considering his good deeds as of late.

"Okay, so I'll just clear the air and say what happened before we are stuck here for hours trying to pull information from 'Mister Elusive' over here," Kristoff said in a louder voice, jabbing a thumb in Hans' direction. If there was a  _little_  bit of bite in his tone, he tried not to think about it. He was just in a brawl  _and_  had his own soul wanting to escape moments after, so any annoyance was pretty difficult to keep down at the moment. "We met for our daily review of his behavior at the stables. I found out that he was reluctant to leave his room when he woke up earlier this morning.

"I decided to leave it alone for a bit to carry on with the meeting. But lo and behold, I pressed for more information anyway, because something in the back of my head kept pushing me to get to the bottom of his glum mood. I mean, isn't that what we want to know? Isn't that was good people do? Try to make a situation better for someone who seems like they need the help? But then he didn't really quite like what I said and so he punched me."

Anna and Elsa both lifted their hands to cover their gasps. Kristoff shook his head, trying to dissuade them from trying to pass judgement so quickly with his recounting of events.

"Hang on, don't assume things. We'll get to the 'whys' later. I'm sure Hans' side of the story is important, too," he continued. "We tousled a bit, and then I pinned him to the wall. He said something about trying to convince me of something and then he took his glove off and did that 'touch of death' thing on me. And then he regretted it, and then I had to stop him from doing it to himself, and here we are.

"Now, I'm no expert when it comes to… things related to breakdowns, but something is still telling me that there's more to the story that none of us are noticing yet. Is he going insane? I dunno. All I'm thinking is that whatever this is, I'm just making it worse by trying to be nice."

Kristoff turned to Hans, jutting his chin slightly to signal that it was his turn to speak and stated, "Now, care to tell the ladies what's gotten into you?"

Hans hid his face in his hands, ashamed.

"You seriously owe us an explanation," Anna said, hands on her hips. "I mean, you attacked your parole officer, who also happens to be my  _fiancé_. It's like you're  _asking_  to be put back in the dungeon. And to have me think that you're changing and that you've got a thing for my sister all of a sudden?"

Her hands flew to cover the shocked gape of her mouth as if she spilled a secret she hadn't meant to share.

What in the world was Anna going on about? Hans… having a crush on  _Elsa?_  Of all the things that would bother the prince,  _that_  would likely be the  _last_  thing on his mind.

Or… it would make a lot of sense, too, in a way. Now he was  _really_  intrigued about what Hans would say to explain his actions.

And considering that Kristoff could almost see the gears working in Hans' mind, whatever Anna blurted out seemed to loosen his tongue to the truth.

"Amazing how easily you can hit a few of my nerves with careless words, Princess Anna," Hans said, but any hint of sarcasm that could've been portrayed in his statement was completely absent. "Perhaps that's why I've found it so easy to open up whenever you're around." He closed his eyes in defeat and inhaled deeply, clenching and unclenching his gloved fists.

Hans exhaled.

"I know that each of you have noticed my sudden low mood as of late," he started, gazing intently at the three people in front of him. "And the thoughtfulness each of you have displayed concerning your treatment of me. I appreciate it, I really do. And Mister Bjorgman's idea to release me has definitely motivated me to continue to fulfill every task that's been asked of me, and to continue to aspire to change. In fact, if I were to compare myself to who I was before arriving in Corona to who I am now, I could almost say that I didn't recognize myself.

"But I've come to realize that all of it would be for nothing. It's useless. I mean, the moment where I've finally felt that I've started to redeem myself, and a massacre and assassination attempt on the queen happens? Because of  _my_  involvement?  _My_  own idea? No, character means nothing if I'm still dangerous to be around, like before – even  _more_  than before.

"I've concluded that, since my death isn't without even greater consequence, I should at least be put away in a place where I can't hurt anyone. Being around other people… I'm putting everyone at risk."

Elsa stepped forward, "Prince Hans. Please don't—"

"No, please. I… can't accept anymore kindness from you.  _Especially_  you. It's just going to complicate everything more. Princess Anna's right. I've started growing…  _more_  than fond of you, and it somehow happened overnight when I realized these feelings existed. Your warmth, your kindness… your mercy. I can't accept it. It'll just keep entertaining thoughts of things I can never attain. Of things that can never be."

He turned away, facing his tensed-up fists, face pulled into anger. He whispered, half to himself, "Because I'm a monster." Then, he turned his face back to the other three in the room, resolution in his expression and steel in his voice, "The rest of the kingdom sees it. And I have no idea how I can convince everyone in this castle to see it. And there is no way I'll be able to prove it if I ever allow myself to fall in love with someone I  _know_  I can't have. Because it might destroy them, the measures that might entail. And the thought of hurting someone I love… The possibility that I might kill them... Just like what happened with Klaus…"

He turned away again, "I just might ignore the warnings the pixies gave me, the warning the land gave everyone... Because right now, despite everything that's trying to convince me to accept that I am Death itself, I'm afraid of dying. But if all that ever happens, if I get attached to any of you and end up hurting you… I just might lose my will to live. And that terrifies me even more.

"So please. Just put me back in the dungeon. I don't want to risk anything."

###

Hearing Hans' confession, as well as the confirmation of Anna's suspicions regarding his feelings, wrenched at the Snow Queen's heart.

She couldn't let Hans live in a cell for the rest of his life. It's inhumane when the criminal is willing to conform and become a diligent member of society, when they've proven after being released how invaluable they've become. To have him live as if he was free and send him to prison once again? No, that's out of the question.

"You're wrong, Prince Hans," Elsa said. "Your ideas that you deserve to be alone, isolated… they're misguided. I know this, because I've gone through the exact same thing."

She tugged at her interlaced fingers, unsure whether she should continue. She had a lot to say, but it would only be a waste of air if he wasn't ready to listen. Just like Anna's attempts to bring her from her ice castle were wasted, because she wasn't willing to hear.

The wary, but curious, look the prince gave her prompted her to continue. Yes, he was ready.

"The worries that you're going to hurt someone. The shame that follows you because of your past. The… feeling that it would be better if it all just… ended," Elsa continued, the last statement being extremely hard to express. She repressed the memory of her hopelessness when she thought she killed Anna when it flashed in her mind. "But those aren't things that one person can bear alone. It wasn't  _meant_  to be dealt with alone. It can only be fixed if you let those who care about you help."

She stepped forward, closer to where Hans was standing. Anna might protest her next course of action, but if the look that Hans was giving her was anything to go by, Elsa knew that he definitely needed it at the moment.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso. His body flinched at the contact, and his arms went rigid when they were pinned to his sides as she hugged him. He was shaking, the thump of his heartbeat fluttering wildly. He refrained from returning the embrace, to her disappointment.

His fear of hurting her saddened her. He really needed a hug, and the thought that he couldn't indulge in even  _that_  spoke volumes about how much he desperately needed other people in his life right now.

Without thinking, she reached up and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

Elsa would blame it on her maternal instincts if anyone asked, but she knew better. Anna and Kristoff would know, too, if they were able to put two and two together. But at least she knew that they weren't ones to gossip. And the blush that formed on the prince's face from the simple sign of affection made it all worth it.

"In telling us this, I know that you intended to be locked into isolation once again. Yes, it has come to my attention that I must alter a few details of our agreement," Elsa said after releasing him. A playful smile tugged at her cheeks. "Prince Hans, I hereby sentence you to be the royal family's valet in conjunction to your other duties as executioner. Effective immediately."

The sounds of surprise (Anna and Kristoff) and protests (Hans) in the room caused the queen's smile to form into a full-blown grin.

Oh, they definitely knew what that job entailed. It meant that Hans would have to wait hand-and-foot for the sisters (and by proxy, Kristoff), meaning that it would be easier to keep an eye on him. Well, that would be the  _official_  reason, one that could easily be entered into the record books.

That tiny spark of joy in the prince's eyes, one that she herself was able to put there, that was a reason that she'd likely keep to herself. She needed to find more opportunities to ensure it stayed there, and what better way than to have him around more often? Especially with her busy schedule, wouldn't a valet's responsibilities allow for more much-needed social interaction with his custodians?

"Are you sure?" Anna asked from behind her.

_Am I doing this because of duty?_ Elsa asked herself.  _Or have I let myself go too far?_

She only gave her sister a gentle grin and beckoned her to leave the room along with her.

"We'll leave these two alone to sort out the scuffle they had earlier," Elsa said, nodding to Kristoff as the two sisters made their exit.

###

Hans couldn't quite believe what was happening. Even after attacking the one person he thought was reasonable in his whole situation, they still thought he could be trusted to be  _alone_  with him?

"Hey, don't start freaking out again," the blond man said, arms crossed. "Keep doing that and you might pass out."

It was then that Hans realized that he was hyperventilating. He held his breath, willing his heart to keep from leaping out of his chest.

"You need to let it go. Whatever you did in the past, or whatever you think you deserve because of the past, it'll stay there as long as you don't beat yourself up over it," Kristoff suggested.

"You don't think people should face consequences for their actions?" Hans asked.

"They should, and from what I've seen, you've been punished enough. Just… let whatever the queen has in mind for you just  _happen._  Stop painting yourself in a light that doesn't fit you anymore.  _Let it go._ "

Hans blinked once. Twice.

"L-let go?"

Kristoff nodded slowly, as if he was trying to make sure he understood. Hans thought he was starting to, at least.

"If Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are willing to do it, the very people you've wronged in your past, don't you think you should, too? Don't you think that, I don't know, maybe you're dishonoring  _them_  in living in the past? One that might bring up not-too-great memories for them?"

He never thought of it that way. That wouldn't do at all!

"That was never my intention," Hans defended.

"Yeah, but sometimes intentions and reality don't quite mix well. Like how you intended to be locked up in the dungeon again, but instead got the queen even more sympathetic to your cause and wants to coddle you more, for some reason." Kristoff raised and lowered his brows, suggesting that he knew a bit more to that story than he was mentioning.

Hans felt his face turn warmer than usual at the insinuation, "No more of that, Mister Bjorgman. I'm already embarrassed enough in having to admit my infatuation with the queen."

"Aww, come on, still so formal after beating me up earlier? My feelings are hurt. And here I thought we were friends now," Kristoff teased.

Did he hear him right?

"Friends?"

"Well… yeah? I guess. Kinda. I don't know. I haven't got a lot of friends… who are human… So I don't really know how it all works, to be honest."

"Neither do I. Of any species, actually."

"Well then,  _Hans._ " Kristoff extended a hand. He made it obvious to drop the royal title, something that Hans found he didn't mind too much. "Stop with the 'Mister Bjorgman' business, and I won't pin your head to the floor again. Agreed?"

Hans couldn't help but laugh lightly at the childish image of once more being subdued in such a manner.

"Agreed," Hans said, reciprocating the handshake. Then he added with a playful grin, "Mister Kristoff."

The good-natured shove he received was definitely deserved.

"Please don't hurt yourself, okay?" Kristoff said, voice more serious, rubbing his shoulder after the light jab Hans gave him in retaliation. "Don't go down that road."

"What do you mean?"

"That whole 'punishing yourself' thing with your curse earlier. And then admitting that you'll consider… uh… losing your will to live if you hurt people you love."

Oh. He hoped Kristoff had forgotten about that, but of course the man was too observant for that.

Pleading eyes highlighted Kristoff's expression, "Promise me you won't  _ever_  do anything like that."

"…I promise?"

"No.  _Mean_  it, okay?"

Hans opened his mouth to repeat his oath, but hesitated. Could he mean it? The future was still rather…  _bleak_  for him. There was no way to know how events would turn out, or how he would react to situations that would send him further into a downward spiral. Would allowing Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna be more central in his destiny help him? Or would it destroy him in the end? There was no way to know, and there was no way Hans would swear certainty to a… friend…

Huh. Somehow, through all of this, he still managed to cultivate a friendship, albeit an awkward one.

"I can't," he finally replied. Kristoff's look of alarm at his response caused him to flinch in guilt. "But I can promise that I can try. Let it go, right?"

The blond relaxed in relief, apparently placated by Hans' amendment.

"That's something, at least. Oh, and you might want to remember: all the 'letting go' advice is actually Queen Elsa's personal motto. Thought you might want to know that."

Hans managed to feign mortification at the revelation, hoping that he could hide the prick of awe at Elsa's wisdom that lit in his heart. A… rather pleasant sensation, if he were to be honest. But, oh, if Kristoff were privy about that, Hans wouldn't be able to live with the embarrassment.

If only he lived a different life, a different time, he might have actually let himself fall completely in love with the queen, no fear of repercussion at its wake. Dangerous as it was, Hans at least allowed himself to admire the monarch's character just a  _little_  bit more. Well, he could console himself with the fact that he could admire from afar. And that would be enough to make himself happy.

He eyed the violin case leaning against a corner in his room, a small smile curving his mouth knowing that the instrument now held a different meaning for him, one without the memories of yearly recitals he begrudgingly participated in when he felt that his life was in the hands of malicious siblings.

Yes, it would be enough.


	13. On Matters of Indecision

"So what was all that in there?" Anna asked Elsa as the two men were smoothing over matters in the room, their voices reverberating softly from behind the door. The two sisters didn't want to leave the immediate vicinity yet, in case sorting out the situation turned into another fist fight. Anna was glad that it didn't sound like another scuffle was going to happen again.

Her fiancé's lack of caution around Hans really worried her. Yeah, Kristoff seemed like he knew what he was doing (and was surprisingly good at it, too), but that didn't mean she would stop feeling agitated for his well-being. The same went for her sister.

Then again, she felt torn on how to react to the confirmation of her suspicions. On one hand, she wanted to go back into the room and dissuade the prince from developing more feelings for her sister. On the other, she wanted to gush with Elsa and talk more about her preferences in men so she could (somewhat) discreetly mold Hans into somebody who would make her amazing sister happy. After all, Elsa had never hinted at having a  _pinch_  of romantic feelings for anyone before. Heaven forbid she ever deny what bit of joy Elsa had in trying to fix whatever ailed the man.

A rather irrational and…  _bizarre_  source of joy, but then again, feelings were strange anyway. Best to learn to reign in her impulses and act accordingly by Elsa's response, as a princess should – which Anna had failed to practice on many occasions, admittedly.

To let it be? Or to not let it be?

"Are you  _sure_  you don't like him that way?" Anna asked when Elsa didn't respond.

"No, I am not sure, Anna," Elsa sighed. "I'm afraid that I've let myself become too sympathetic of him, as you warned me not to do." She turned her face to the floor. "I'm sorry. You must be really angry at me for doing that. He left you to die, after all."

A flicker of something rather unpleasant lit inside of Anna upon being reminded of why she  _really_  didn't like Hans.

But the assassins, and his lack of misconduct –

But he also attacked Kristoff –

But he did it because of a breakdown –

Argh! Why did everything have to be so  _complicated!?_ Of all the people to fall for her sister, why  _him?_

Okay, okay, she'll give the guy a chance. Just  _one more_. If he so much as looked at anyone funny while she's around, she'll sic Marshmallow on him. If Marshmallow would listen, of course. On the the bright side, maybe it would encourage him to stay on the kingdom's good graces if Anna didn't dismiss his feelings right away?

Of course, there were lines that had to be drawn.

"I'm not mad at you. I promise I won't  _ever_  be mad at you for this," Anna enunciated.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Kai said, approaching the two siblings an bowing to each in turn. "The Councilmen are waiting for you in the throne room."

Right, they had scheduled that meeting a while ago. Something about the massacre the Council wanted to talk about, and Elsa wanted her to be in the room with her, especially since she witnessed the carnage as well. For emotional support.

"We will be there," Elsa said, nodding to the steward. "And please make note that Prince Hans has been assigned to be our valet. He was assigned to the stables earlier, so please ensure the person who will fill that role will be compensated for the sudden shift change."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Kai said, bowing before he left the two sisters alone.

"Should we just… wait until those two are done?" Anna said, referring to the room where her fiancé was currently in. "And I still want to talk about what happened in there."

Elsa waited a beat before answering, "I think they're fine for now. We should really be meeting with the Council. They wouldn't appreciate having to wait for us."

###

Meeting with the Council had to be the most uncomfortable experience Anna had ever born witness to. She had no idea if she wanted to fall asleep at her seat, or to pace around the room to get rid of her agitation, or to doodle pictures on the papers in front of her to pass the time. The urge to draw the toupee-wearing Councilman – also known as the the kingdom's administrator of finance,  _yawn –_ that sat across from her at the meeting table in a mime's suit was intensifying as the meeting dragged on.

He droned on and on and  _on_ about his advice on changing the budget the kingdom was on, and preparations for the fast-approaching autumn and winter. Autumn and winter weren't  _really_  around the corner, since it was only late spring, but  _agh,_ the administrator's hyperbole didn't make his statements any more interesting than the dust motes that caught the sun's rays, floating around the room from some unseen force.

Now that she came to think of it, the dust was  _much_  more interesting.

She couldn't understand how in the world her sister was able to handle coming together with these people on a regular basis. It was just crazy to think about it.

Then again, she and Elsa were very different people. Of course, they shared their similarities and liked to bond over them, but temperament-wise they almost complete opposites. Don't get her wrong, though, Anna loved her sister, but Elsa was a lot more capable for blending into the boringness of the room. It… suited her, strangely enough.

Good thing Anna wasn't the one to be queen, right?

Anna almost forgot her own purpose for being in the meeting until the dignitary at the far end of the table stood to speak for his turn.

She almost gave away her shock at seeing this particular man, since he was one of the visiting dignitaries. Namely, the very same dignitary from France that returned Hans to the Southern Isles and one of the few foreign dignitaries that witnessed the disaster after Elsa's coronation.

Needless to say, the acknowledgement of his presence gave him Anna's undivided attention.

"I thank you, Queen Elsa, for allowing me an audience in regards to the criminals that were sent here from my kingdom," the dignitary said.

"The pleasure is mine," Elsa said with regal grace.

"My sincerest apologies on behalf of my people for being a part of the disaster that has taken place in your kingdom. No amount of condolences and compensation could ever amount to being enough to fix the damage caused by their actions.

"I'm afraid that I was too late to warn you about them when the danger that surrounded them was known. We all had assumed that they were common rogue mercenaries, befitting for an execution, but not dangerous enough to pose a threat to your kingdom. We were wrong, and I was sent to help relieve your dungeons of them, hoping to prevent the terror they have caused within your walls. I'm saddened to hear upon my arrival in your kingdom of the great loss of life a few nights ago."

"They mentioned being a part of some sort of 'Order' before they attacked. I believe this is what you've wanted to warn us about?"

"Yes. From what we've been able to investigate, these criminals are a part of the Order of the Lynx. They were originally founded as a group of skilled warriors, known for their ingenuity and coordination between members, but they were extremely secretive. What originally was a force for good had corrupted itself over generations into the assassins that attacked you and your people. Since not much is known about them, we had unwittingly sent you their leader and his closest cohorts when they were arrested a few months ago when they were caught for a series of murders in a small village."

"They confessed as much during their trial."

"They… did? How were you able to get a confession from them, if you don't mind sharing that information?"

"There is a… certain individual that they fear would come to… harm them, in a way."

The dignitary blinked a few times and his lips faltered, forming words without sound, clearly disquieted. Finally composing himself, "I-If I'm understanding what you mean to say, Your Majesty, you've… threatened them? With your magic? Uh, certainly… it could be an effective means for interrogation, of course—"

Wide eyed, Elsa brought a hand to her mouth, causing the dignitary to retract his statement. Well, this got awkward. Yeah, she had to agree with the man about intimidation as an interrogation tactic, but  _Elsa_  of all people using her powers in such a way? Unthinkable.

"Well, they weren't afraid of her powers when they attacked her, so absolutely not!" Anna said indignantly, glad to finally have something to say throughout the whole meeting. Elsa cast a look of thanks in her direction. Anna responded with a short nod of her head.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! I've disrespected you in implying that you were of little merit with my mindless assumptions."

"No, you've simply come to a logical conclusion with what little I've given you, so there is little need for you to worry," the queen responded, recomposing herself by shifting in her seat a a little. "Please, continue with relaying the information you wanted to share with us. We can discuss the nuances of the criminals' confession when today's meeting has ended, if you so desire."

The dignitary, embarrassed now, gave an apologetic smile to everyone in the room before seriousness took hold of his expression once again, "The Order of the Lynx has members across many kingdoms, and have made countless attempts at assassinating people, namely those among the nobility and royalty. We don't know their motives, nor do we know how they've been able to pull people into their ranks, nor how many are in those ranks.

"As far as we know, the other affected kingdoms are trying to investigate this group as much as they can, and their efforts have little to show for. I'm afraid that the likes of their attack in your our castle won't be the last."

"What do you think is going to happen, now that their leader has been executed?" a Councilman asked.

"It's hard to say for certain. I'd imagine they would be trying to find another person to fill that role."

"What do you suppose Arendelle should do?" another member asked. "From what it sounds like, there is little being done about it!"

"My countrymen are trying, I assure you. I propose that the other sovereigns come together, possibly at a summit, to collect everyone's findings and solutions to end this group's tyranny. We cannot risk having another assassination attempt on a leader again, there is too much at stake if we continue to block relations from those we aren't allied with."

"And in saying this, you mean to reopen negotiations with the likes of the duchy of Weselton?" the finance administrator cut in. Anna wrinkled her nose at the thought of the duke and her sister being in close proximity once again at a summit.

"I don't particularly like it either, but it's come to my attention that in keeping to ourselves, we deny the sharing of important information. They might know something that we don't, and vice versa. It doesn't exactly have to come to  _trade_  with the duchy, but at least keep the doors open for informants. I know the Duke of Weselton's character isn't very acceptable, but I'm sure that if he were to be assassinated, the duchy would suffer immensely."

"I advocate that a summit should be held," Elsa said, nodding. "Is this your only concern that you wish to share with us?"

"There are also the criminals that have been sent to you in mistake. I can take them from your dungeons if their captivity poses a problem."

"Their imprisonment is under careful watch, I assure you. Their execution dates are pending to be scheduled."

"Then that is the only concern I wished to address."

"This meeting is officially over, then."

The Councilmen filed out of the room, bowing to the queen and princess as they passed by. The two royals and the French dignitary were the only ones left in the meeting room.

"I do sincerely apologize for making disrespectful assumptions of your character, Queen Elsa."

"All is forgiven."

The three of them fell silent, unsure of whether they wanted to be the first one to broach the subject.

The dignitary's curiosity won out, "How were you able to gain a confession from the Order members? I didn't know that their sort would willingly reveal information if one were to simply ask them."

"We didn't. As I've mentioned, they were afraid of someone under my command, namely their executioner. He demonstrated something rather…  _unpleasant_  to one of their comrades before being apprehended once again."

"If that is the case, then I hope to never meet this person," the dignitary said light-heartedly. "From what it seems, he must be quite a character to have to contend with."

Elsa and Anna shared looks knowingly, the latter trying to hold back a fit of laughter.

Oh boy, if the dignitary only  _knew_  the lengths of "contention" they had to deal with.

A knock from the large double-doors and in entered said executioner, dressed in a valet's uniform, along with Sir George, the guard. Hans still wore the ratty gloves that Anna gave him, which didn't really match the rest of his ensemble. At least it helped to shatter the illusion of the old Hans that tried to woo her last summer. Hm, if looks were really anything to go by, Hans certainly looked to be a changed man. She wondered at that for a moment.

And at his impeccable timing, once again.

The dignitary and the prince locked gazes upon noticing each other and froze in place.

"Prince Hans?" the dignitary said in disbelief. "I thought you were in the Southern Isles?"

"Uh… it looks like you two are busy. I'll just…" Hans said and pointed a thumb behind him towards the open doors.

"No, no, come in here," Elsa directed, smiling at him. "We were just talking about you."

"Your Majesty, I don't mean any disrespect, but I think it would be best if I'm not… um,  _here_ , at the moment."

"I share the same request with the queen, Prince Hans. You should stay."

The discomfort written all over Hans' face was enough for Anna to want to watch the awkwardness unfold before her. Sure, it was petty to want to see him squirm, but it was retribution for harming her fiancé, right? Which reminded her…

"So, how'd it go with Kristoff? You didn't kill him when we left the two of you alone, right?" Anna asked sarcastically. Hans paused in his desires to escape the room and rooted his feet in place. Good, the question was working as intended.

"No, I didn't," he replied politely. Okay, also good was that he wasn't giving an attitude. That helped his case for vying for her sister. Somewhat.

They  _really_  needed to talk about the weird crush situation when she finally had alone-time with her sister.

"Then where is he?" Anna asked, genuinely interested in knowing Kristoff's whereabouts.

"He's returned to the stables."

"Why are you here?" the dignitary asked, wanting to get to the crux of the matter. Hans started as if he almost forgot the dignitary was there. Man, he must have had a lot on his mind if he left out that detail.

"I'm their valet. I was told to wait on them as soon as the meeting was over."

"Valet? How—"

"He's serving his punishment in Arendelle. We have resources at our disposal that the Southern Isles doesn't have," Elsa explained.

"Is he… somehow related to all the convicts you've requested to be sent here?"

"…you didn't tell him?" Hans asked. "Isn't information like that important to—"

"I know, I know," Elsa said, exasperated. She heaved a sigh and looked to the floor. She turned to the dignitary after a moment of consideration. "It wasn't completely my idea to keep Prince Hans' new situation in Arendelle to ourselves, but considering the risk of panic for all the other countries to hear of the chaos I've caused during my coronation, and the consequences of my actions, we thought it best to withhold information until we were certain that our plans would work."

Elsa clasped her hands together, a nervous tic that Anna was all-too-familiar with in her sister.

"Seeing that things are going rather well despite the tragedy that occurred a few days ago, I believe that I can at least spare you some of those details," Elsa continued. "Prince Hans' primary duties in Arendelle is to be our executioner. The land itself has called for human sacrifices due to my…  _killing_  of the land when I cursed it into winter. That job was then bestowed upon him by the pixies, and the very least that we can assure is that no one innocent will fall victim to these sacrifices. As a supplement to his sentence, he is to be a servant in the castle to earn his stay in one of our rooms."

"If I recall the events during your coronation correctly, his actions didn't permit him to be freely walking around the castle, but at least it doesn't appear that he is unattended," the dignitary pointed out, nodding to the castle guard.

"If it were up to me, there would be far more keeping watch," Hans added. Anna slapped him chidingly on the arm at the statement. She didn't know which she hated more: the Hans that faked everything or the Hans that was all mopey. Either way, they were both annoying.

Can't he just accept that he was doing relatively good so far and be done with it?

"Stop with that," Anna scolded. "We've discussed your attitude earlier."

"Sorry, Princess Anna," Hans grumbled.

"If I may, it would ease my worries if I could talk to him alone," the dignitary requested.

"You may," Elsa said. She left the meeting room with Anna following close by, their discussion with the dignitary finishing with their departure.

They made their way to the throne room to prepare to hear more of the concerns the people had regarding the kingdom. If yesterday's requests for the queen's audience were anything to go by, it was mostly going to be about people complaining about Hans being executioner.

If the people would just see how dangerous it could be  _without_  the measures Elsa was putting into place, they would understand. Then again, they saw the execution the other day, and they obviously didn't like it too much.

Anna supposed that sometimes seeing isn't always believing. Or maybe they didn't want to believe what they were seeing.

Finally at the throne room, Anna took the opportunity to voice her concerns about earlier regarding Kristoff, Hans, and Hans' newfound… uh,  _feelings_  in relation to her sister. She knew they were going to be busy for the next few hours, and she didn't want to run the risk of forgetting to talk about it later on.

Fortunately, Elsa seemed to understand this concern in obliging in Anna's questions.

"Okay, so, you're  _not_  sure if you like him?" Anna asked as Elsa settled in her throne. Anna stood to the right of Elsa, her usual standing spot.

"No, I'm not sure," Elsa replied. "I honestly don't know what I think about him, or even this whole situation." She placed her face in the cup of her hands, covering her eyes. "I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing, or if my feelings or lack thereof are getting in the way, or… something. I don't even know if I'm the best one to be ruling this kingdom anyway."

"Hey! Don't say that! I mean, wouldn't it be terrible if  _I_  was the one with the crown on my head? Imagine how much less chocolate there would be in the world if I had that kind of power." Anna tried to change the atmosphere into something more light-hearted before she continued in seriousness, "But really, what makes you think you're not doing the right thing? You're acting on the advice of various well-meaning people instead of doing by your own feelings. You're trying to fix your own mistakes. Heck, you're even trying to see the good in a person that didn't seem to have any when he first came here."

"But what if I end up falling for him? It's terrifying how much I'm starting to see myself in his situation, and I feel like it's possibly creating a bias  _somewhere._  If the kingdom thinks that having Hans as an executioner as being scandalous, then what happens if my heart chooses a person it shouldn't? It won't ever be more than just personal fancies, but I don't know if the people would rest easy with that idea either."

"Well, remember how some people didn't really like the engagement between me and Kristoff? Then all those naysayers went away when he proved to them that he was good enough for a princess like me? I think Hans just needs to prove himself to the people, and your worries about that should go away."

Huh, strange. Somehow she found herself trying to defend the guy, too. Well, maybe it shouldn't be strange. Hans was reforming, after all. Well,  _trying_  to.

Elsa gave her a small, knowing smile. "It's funny, actually. I've been thinking about how he might go about that. How would you feel about him performing at the talent show during your wedding celebration?"

Anna gaped at the suggestion. "What? You want him to… Haha, no. Elsa, he's going to be run off the stage if that ever happens."

"Then he'll just have a disguise. Once he's won over the crowd, then we reveal his identity. If he doesn't win the crowd, then we just keep him disguised and be done with it. It might even be good for him, give him something more productive to do, make him feel like he's contributing to benefit others. What do you think?"

Anna mulled over the idea. It  _does_  sound like a good plan. After all, one less performer to have to parse out of potential  _hundreds_  of auditions. Just give him a lively piece and have him stop shaking his notes so much, and he'd be good to go.

Okay, if her sister was happy with it, then Anna would be.

"Alright, that sounds good. I'll ask him if it ever comes up."

"Thank you.." A grateful smile stretched the queen's mouth.

"Just… remember to keep your distance with him, okay? Conflict of interests and all that stuff. While I'm still mad about him trying to kill us last summer, if seeing him happy makes you happy, and him changing because of all of it, I won't get in the way. But if he so much as reverts back into old Hans for just a fraction of a second—"

"I'll freeze him for you, Anna. Don't worry." A mischievous, playful grin pulled at the queen's cheeks. Anna wasn't able to suppress the chortle that escaped her when she remembered the accidental ice sculptures.

"If you do, can you make his statue similar to the one you made that 'accurately _'_ resembled Lord Jörgens?"

Elsa reddened a bit, giggled, and shook her head good-naturedly at Anna's reminder.

"It would be tempting, I'll admit."

A muffled announcement came from outside, the wide doors to the throne room opened, and a line of the kingdom's people filed in.

###

The earlier light-hearted atmosphere after the two sister's conversation was later diluted to non-existence when today's concerns of Arendelle's people were heard.

The people were getting more restless and divided, Elsa's ability to rule starting to be questioned, and the motives of the convicted prince was ever more prominent in their complaints. And each time, Elsa would repeat herself in saying that they were doing the best that they can.

Her sister's encouragement from earlier echoed through her mind, however, giving her enough strength to withstand the worries she felt that she was starting to share with her people. She hated to see others so distraught and torn, and even worse when it felt like she couldn't do anything more about it.

By the time the throne room closed its doors for the day, Elsa was just about ready to pull her hair out in frustration.

"Elsa? Are you okay?" Anna asked, blue-green eyes reflecting her worry. Was Elsa really being obvious that she was stressed out?

"I just need a moment. There's just a lot for me to think about right now."

Anna stared at her sister with a thoughtful expression before beaming a wide smile and singing playfully, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

The princess didn't even have to ask her twice, since the queen leapt out of her chair and stomped a foot in front of her, an ice rink forming from the floor of the throne room. She waved her hands and covered the walls with a thin sheet of frost, swirling subtle designs into the white, to ensure that the icy manifestations didn't melt right away.

"Of course, Anna," Elsa said, skating her sister to the middle of the throne room by her hands.

"No living ones, alright? Olaf and Marshmallow are already too much to handle."

"Old-fashioned way it is, then."

With a flick of her wrist, Elsa conjured a pile of snow for them to shape their icy creations. The more-traditional route of snowman-building was safe from creating sentient ones. Plus, the extra physical exertion was good enough to relieve the stress she was feeling.

Anna squealed at seeing the thick pile of snow and leapt into the powdery substance, leaving a hollow outline of the red-haired princess where she landed. Elsa snorted at her sister's display of glee and leapt into the snow beside her. The two of them popped out of the snow covered in chunks of white on their heads and shoulders.

"Ooh! How about we make a snow fort?" Anna suggested, pushing aside large armfuls of snow to one side.

"Or how about a snow castle?" Elsa said.

"How about a snow  _kingdom?"_

Elsa really liked the sound of that and conjured even more snow around them, creating a generalized layout of the mini-kingdom they would make. They would add the smaller details later.

###

"I'm telling you, I have no malicious intents towards the queen, the princess, the princess' fiancé, the kingdom of Arendelle, or  _anyone_ ," Hans pleaded with the French dignitary. "I don't know how else I can prove this to you."

They had been going at it for a few hours now, the dignitary with probing questions and Hans begrudgingly answering each one. He explained his new arrangement with the land, the pixies, the kingdom of the Southern Isles, the kingdom of Arendelle, the trolls, even with  _himself._  But words appeared to be doing nothing if his old actions spoke even louder.

 _As it should be_ , his self-doubt rang in his head.  _Failure is inevitable._ He shook the negative thought to the back of his mind, trying to bring the encouraging words of Elsa and Kristoff to the forefront.

"It seems that you cannot, since it would mean that I would have to witness this first-hand, and that requires me to reside in this kingdom for far longer than I have been allowed to stay."

"Then we agree to disagree, then?"

"For now, it appears that we should."

The three men (three, since the guard was with them, who thankfully kept his mouth shut throughout the whole conversation) left the meeting room and parted ways.

Hans was just a few steps into making his way to meet the royals in the throne room when a sudden shiver passed through his spine, along with a very distant feeling of… fear?

That was strange, since there wasn't anything that Hans was particularly afraid of at the moment, nor did he even feel remotely cold.

Then, a faint, burning anger radiated from his chest and a faint, lilted whisper sang in his thoughts.

_Stop her._

Another shiver, and the cold fear snaked across his chest again. A faint glimmer of realization of its cause flickered across his thoughts.

Elsa.

Impropriety ignored, Hans sprinted as fast as he could muster through the castle corridors, barely registering the cries to slow down from the guard that shadowed him.

###

Exhausted, Elsa and Anna stopped their frolicking through the snow, their project completely out of their league to do by hand. A surge of magic from Elsa, and the miniature winter wonderland of the throne room disappeared as if it never happened.

Elsa felt much better now that the agitated energy of her stress was exerted properly.

At that moment, Hans barged into the room, panting with a panic-stricken look on his face.

"Oh hey there, Hans. How'd the talk go with the dignitary?" Anna asked.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Hans asked, worried.

"Everything's alright," Elsa responded. "Why? Is there something we should know about?"

Hans shook his head and brought a gloved hand to his temple. "No. I… think I'm just… a bit jumpy after my conversation with the dignitary."

"I assume it didn't go over well."

He sighed, "No, it didn't. He's still suspicious about me."

Elsa nudged an elbow into her sister's arm. Anna looked questioningly at her, and Elsa twitched her head in Hans' direction, hoping that the princess would remember her idea.

"Oh! Uh," Anna sputtered, remembrance lighting her eyes. Then, with as much faux-exuberance it seemed her sister could muster, "Hey, about that. Have I got a deal for  _you_!"

Confusion raised an eyebrow of the prince as well as distorted the calm tenor of his voice, "A deal? Should I be concerned?"

"No, silly. How about you perform at my wedding's talent showcase, maybe help lift the spirits of the people with your violin-playing?"

"I don't think the audience would like that idea."

"Don't worry, Elsa and I will disguise you."

"But wouldn't it defeat the purpose for having me in front of a crowd?"

"Come on, will you do it?" Anna continued to prod. "It would make the queen  _very_  happy."

Hans and Elsa both blushed at the statement. Hans cast a fleeting, embarrassed look directly into Elsa's eyes and flicked his gaze away from her as soon as they made eye contact.

"S-sure, if the queen requests it," Hans said.

"Good! Auditions are happening next week."

She clapped a hand on Hans' shoulder and skipped out of the doors in the throne room, almost running into the guard that chased after Hans in his mad dash.

"What just happened?" Hans said, watching the princess as she made her exit.

"She's like this sometimes," Elsa said, shrugging slightly. "Kristoff says it's endearing."

"Kudos to him, then."

Elsa allowed herself to smile at his new laid-back attitude. If she felt like she wasn't doing any good in the world, at least she could rest easy in the fact that there was one person she felt like she could help. It also made it a lot easier knowing that Anna and Kristoff weren't trying to hinder Hans' transformation.

Still, that warning the trolls gave everyone nagged at her, and she knew that everyone else felt it, too.

Sighing, she gestured for Hans to follow her to her study. Who knew how many documents that were piled on there for her to leaf through today?

The young guard groaned a small complaint at having to move again before he was able to catch his breath, but followed them anyway as dutiful as ever.


	14. New Danger Lurks

If his tasks in the queen's study was anything to go by, acting as Arendelle's royal family's valet was a lot less strenuous than he had originally thought, Hans was pleased to note. He still felt a bit uneasy about having to constantly be around the very same people he'd come to grow rather fond of.

Which was a realization that bothered him the more he thought about it, so he decided to shirk that line of thinking and distract himself with the requests Elsa had as she sifted and read through the documents on her desk in the study. Apparently, thinking too much just lead to a brief lapse in judgment and caused him to attack Kristoff, which in turn lead to an intervention.

An intervention which made known the inconvenient feelings he had for the woman sitting behind her desk. It was a miracle that Anna hadn't blown up at the confession, or that Elsa hadn't spurned him.

Of course, that brief incident before meeting with Elsa and Anna in the throne room worried him. What even was that? It felt foreign yet… strangely familiar at the same time. Like something that he should be aware of, but it completely eluded his notice. If there was one thing that Hans disliked intensely, it was not being in the know on matters.

Because time and time again in the past, not knowing things ended up in a disaster.

He didn't get to ponder the severity of having those foreign thoughts and sensations for much longer, since Elsa suddenly spoke to him as he brought her an inkwell from the nearby cupboard when the other one ran dry. He made a mental note to let someone know to refill it later.

"I've just received a letter from King Pieter," Elsa said with a grim look on her face, placing a fold-creased sheet of paper on top of a large pile of papers.

"King Pieter… as in my eldest brother?"

Elsa nodded. "He's seeking asylum. He's been refused everywhere else."

Hans' heart dropped at the news. "What?"

"Do… you want to read the letter?" Her gaze drifted to the page she just set aside.

In response, Hans reached out to pick up the letter. Did he want to read it? Absolutely.

 _To Queen Elsa of Arendelle,_  the letter started.

_I am overjoyed to hear that Prince Hans has not been executed in Corona and that you are seeing it fit to seek out an alternative. I do apologize for seeming like I doubt your judgment in saying that there are those among us that find the whole ordeal suspicious and we have sent Prince Anders to your kingdom to verify the veracity of his claims. As of the penning of this letter, he still stays in Arendelle and I hope his presence has not burdened you. It's difficult to know how he fares, since he never was one to write when he is traveling._

_If I may make a request, if Prince Anders hasn't left yet I would like for him to return as soon as possible. While he was away, a group of people had made an attempt at the assassination of a few of my brothers, and considering that this is along Prince Anders' lines of work, his help in this matter would benefit everyone greatly._

_The only patterns in their attempts is that they have targeted those among us that have not yet married, and that it is obviously a coordinated effort. With what little information that has been given to me, Prince Magnus has suggested that I make preparations for a getaway should these people try for, as he put it, "a larger fish in the sea." I loathe to think of having to leave my kingdom, but considering the circumstances it would be prudent to acquiesce to the possibility._

_A singular king should have no problems trying to procure permission to stay in a foreign country he is allied with, but unfortunately I worry for leaving behind my brothers who have already been attacked and have requested they leave along with me. Of all the nations that the Southern Isles continues their alliances with (however tenuous), only Corona had agreed to accommodate me and six of my siblings initially. However, further correspondence had yielded no response from them, and I fear that I've dried up all of my other resources. Also, there is no telling if those who already have families of their own would also be on the assassination list._

_It is a dreadful mess all around, one exacerbated by my unwillingness to strengthen foreign relations as I continue trying to accommodate to ruling a kingdom on my own. In doing so, I've made myself a stranger to those I should have been more open to without intending it and in turn I can't request any other ruler to aid me in the darkening hours. Its as if the world has suddenly gone silent around me._

_Forgive me if I happen to be waxing poetic in my distress, but I do hope you understand how desperate this situation is._

_Hopefully in writing all of this to you, you understand that I have no where else to turn to except to your kingdom. I plead with you, beg even, to allow me and a few of my brothers to find sanctuary within Arendelle's borders if, and when, the time comes. I know that my youngest brother has wronged you, your sister, and your kingdom. I know that his actions have shamed and tarnished the honor of the Westergaard name and ruined the ties our two kingdoms had once so strongly shared in the past._

_But I also know that you are merciful and kind, and I have no intentions of exploiting your goodness in asking such a large request of you and your people. I can only hope that you can find it within your power to help us in our time of need._

_May your rule be long and filled with wisdom._

_King Pieter of the Southern Isles_

Hans turned the paper over, half-expecting for there to be more,  _wanting_  there to be more. The lack of details on the well-being of his brothers worried him. Were any of them injured? And Anders, he would have made it back to the Southern Isles by this time. Was he alright? Now Hans was regretting not having a proper goodbye when he left.

There was also the possibility that his family members wouldn't be allowed asylum in Arendelle. Elsa wouldn't stoop to be so petty to hold his own wrongdoings against his family and possibly doom them, but the thought was there.

"Prince Hans, are you okay?" Elsa said from beside him. He flinched, not noticing that the queen had stood from her desk to comfort him, a hand touching his arm. He shivered and tried to hide it, but Elsa noticed anyway and retracted her hand.

 _Get a hold of yourself, at least it isn't a hug this time,_ Hans thought, and he shook his head, both to ward the thought away and answer Elsa in the negative. There were too many emotions, both positive and negative, running through him to say anything just yet. He waited for her to speak before he made a fool of himself by blubbering nonsense by talking.

"I'm not going to refuse them should they need to come here," Elsa said, noticing his discomfort.. "Unless there's something about them coming here that would pose a problem."

"They fight. A lot. I hope you're prepared to hear plenty of those going around," Hans said, trying to hide the mixture of unsorted feelings in his voice. "Most of them are all bark, but some of the spats between a few of them tend to exchange bites."

"Then I'll ensure they don't share rooms in the same vicinity."

"I guess that would help reduce some of the quarreling, but it would actually bring up a different issue between Elias and Rasmus. Those two, uh,  _need_  to share a room together. Rasmus has this tendency to unknowingly stop breathing as he sleeps, and he hasn't suffered greatly for it since Elias is the one who wakes up and helps him to breathe again. He only trusts Elias to do this, since he's a completely paranoid person, but strangely he's also the only one he argues with."

"That is… peculiar."

Hans chuckled half-heartedly at her observation. "And it only gets worse from there. 'Peculiar' quickly descends into a nightmare within a few hours, trust me. Did you ever wonder how Anders received that scar on his face?"

"I thought it would be rude to ask him without knowing him first, but yes."

"Well, that's all Magnus' doing. When he's upset, he insists on having a duel, no matter how spontaneous the situation or inappropriate the setting might be. 'To settle matters properly like men' as he likes to say. He's definitely not prone to violent outbursts like Anders, but he finds a sick sort of satisfaction at leaving a few 'souvenirs' on the other person's body when he wins. Never to excessively hurt, of course, but enough to humiliate. Actually, I shouldn't say 'never' either. We all agreed he went too far with the mark he left on Anders' face."

"I had always assumed it was work-related."

Hans smirked. "Naturally." He shook his head, calling back the seriousness of the discussion. "Are you sure you want to do this, Your Majesty? King Pieter definitely left out a lot of those details from the letter. A good number of the allies to the Southern Isles knows of the incredible dysfunction in my family, and I'm sure that's a reason why they're having a hard time finding asylum."

"Don't you worry for their safety?" Elsa's eyebrow curved upward, confused.

Well, of course! Why was that even a question? "Absolutely."

"You make it sound like you'd rather not have them be here."

Hans could see the faint glimmer of suspicion in her eyes, similar to when he and Anna had announced their "proposal." She knew something was amiss.

Seeing that in the queen's face again… that hurt a lot more than he was expecting it to be.

"They're my brothers, Queen Elsa. And as much as I've detested them throughout the years, I'm still worried for them. But I'm also worried for what it means for your kingdom. They don't particularly  _like_  having me around. Imagine adding more problematic people like me staying in your kingdom for an indeterminate amount of time."

"You're not problematic, Prince Hans, just misunderstood. I'm sure your brothers are the same."

"Arendelle barely tolerates my presence here."

"And you'll have your moment to prove to them that they're crazy to feel that way." A reassuring smile curved her lips. "I thought we already discussed this."

He reciprocated the gesture and elicited a low rumble of amusement and replied in playful sarcasm, "Oh, forgive me, Your Majesty. It appears that we have. I fear for the impending audition that was forcibly scheduled upon me." He sighed, face falling back into an expression of worry. It seemed that his feelings during this discussion was constantly teetering between amusement and anxiety. The former was likely due to Elsa speaking with him, and the latter was due to the problem regarding his siblings. "Why are you so concerned about my thoughts regarding the asylum of my brothers? It's not as if I have any real power to make that decision."

"Wouldn't a friend do that to another? Ask their opinion on a matter, maybe even receive some advice? It's  _your_  brothers, after all."

A… friend. Okay, that descriptor might have stung a bit (especially after his embarrassing confession not too long ago), but it could mean anything. However, it was more appropriate for an enemy to transition to be a friend than straight to a love interest.  _If_  there was any interest in such a way. She never made her own stance in the situation obvious, after all.

Elsa was an enigma, but despite the lack of assurance, he couldn't help the feelings that bubbled up whenever she smiled or talked to him. Completely stupid, since such feelings were  _absolutely_  unbecoming of a cold-hearted, power-hungry, and manipulative man that he is—

Was. Man that he  _was._

He decided that, of himself and Elsa, she was handling the whole debacle with a lot more patience and confidence than he was. A fact that might have caused him to be bitter before, since  _no one_  had ever dared to surpass him in such traits. He might've called this new Hans a wuss, a weakling. Instead, it was a reassurance. He didn't have to constantly rely on himself for ends to meet, especially if he was trying to redefine himself at the moment and needed to find a new direction in his life.

There was something bothering him, however, with the way the queen explained her motives. It was as if she was keeping back information, something she knew about his brother's situation…

Something dangerous.

 _Elsa_  stooping so low to keep him wondering after all her openness and kindness and light to his darkness? That was unthinkable! She wasn't a hypocrite like him. It was probably old paranoia kicking in.

Still, that slight crease in her brow as they shared a smile kept plucking at old nerves that tensed whenever his brothers had a "plan" for him when he was little.

But she wouldn't hurt him intentionally, it wasn't who she was. No,  _if_  there was information he should know about, and _if_  she wasn't sharing it with him, it just meant there was a reason behind it. A  _benevolent_ reason behind it. No need to be so paranoid like Rasmus, or even Magnus, his third-oldest brother.

Whose paranoia had somehow convinced the eldest of all of them to find safety in _Arendelle._

What a disaster waiting to happen.

###

Elsa could see that Hans knew she was hiding something from him, but was relieved when it didn't seem like he would press the issue. Anna definitely would've berated her for "shutting her out" again, but her sister was a different matter entirely. Hans already had a lot to deal with and accustom himself to at the moment, no need to have him worry about some secret society being out to wreak havoc around the neighboring nations. Certainly not when he was still so fragile after his earlier distress and the fact that there was little information on how to address the band of assassins.

The letter had helped with one of the issues of trying to amass the numerous number of leaders, namely trying to find some sort of reason to invite the Southern Isles to the cause. King Pieter wasn't exaggerating when he said that ties between her kingdom and his kingdom were extremely tense and strained. When her father was king and Hans' father still ruled, the relatively close proximity of the two kingdoms had built historically strong connections between the people and cultures.

But that history fell to almost be forgotten when Arendelle shut its royal family to the outside world, and then the late king of the Southern Isles died, leaving King Pieter to take the throne. Hans' eldest brother turned out to be as shut in as Arendelle if one were to look at his actions for foreign relations: absolutely dismal and nonexistent. And the act of treason that Hans wrought against Arendelle when he came as a representative of the Southern Isles didn't help matters either. Generations of work that kept the two kingdoms together had been easily severed by a few years of poor decisions. It was as if her people had forgotten that time in recent history where Arendelle and the Southern Isles were so close, they were jokingly considered to be the same kingdom.

That fact made it hard for her to see if there was a way to reach out to the king and see if he would be willing to attend the summit the French dignitary had suggested. Providence had at least solved that problem for her.

If only it would solve the new problem that, apparently, having more Westergaards in her kingdom didn't sit well with Hans. At first it seemed like a good idea with the possibility to repair the damage done between the two kingdoms, but after hearing a few details about the brothers, she wasn't so sure.

But it was for the good of the many kingdoms if  _their_  kingdom didn't fall. If Arendelle's castle would turn into a war zone with the brothers around and didn't spill out into her kingdom's streets, she'd gladly welcome them within its walls for their safety. Maybe she'd learn a bit more about Hans and his past when they came, learn a bit more about what made him tick and if there would be any problems the family would have regarding the interactions between Hans and Elsa.

To be more effective at helping him, of course! No need to think like it was a vetting process for a potential suitor.

Because Hans  _wasn't_ qualified as a suitor, and he  _wasn't_  her type, and she  _wasn't_  interested in him in that way. Right?

Right…

But along that train of thought, the emphasis on targeting the unmarried siblings was strange. Why would the Order only attack them? Their own attempt at killing her coincided with that evidence, since she fit the bill as a royal without a spouse. She made a mental note to discuss that observation with the Council at tomorrow's meeting.

But now that she thought about it, Prince Magnus, whichever brother that happened to be, and his suspicions weren't without substance. King Pieter could very well be next.

She couldn't just outright invite the brothers out of nowhere, however. Her people didn't need to know of the secret society of assassins, since it might tip off those who were a part of the organization that she was aware of their existence. After all, no one knew how to tell if someone  _wasn't_  a member.

She knew that she and her Council would be able to come up with something.

Elsa didn't realize that she was lost in her own thoughts until Hans cleared his throat. Elsa was horrified to see that she was staring right at his face when she blanked out, one that was filled with worry and had that slight hint of suspicion ghosting almost imperceptibly in his eyes. She felt her face flush when she noted the mixture of yellow and green his irises were.

Okay, Anna was probably onto something that Elsa herself wasn't noticing.

Probably.

###

"Are you okay? Are you still hurt?" came the worried prodding of Kristoff's fiancée as he led Sven out of the stables. Anna patted his torso to look for any new injuries. He pushed her hands away, laughing, though not without a small wince when she aggravated the sore spot on his ribs.

"Anna, please, I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself," Kristoff said, trying to pacify her concerns for him. Sven snorted in agreement.

"Hey, don't agree with him!" Anna scolded the reindeer, wagging a stern index finger in his direction. "You didn't see the mess he was in after that scrap. He got me worried sick!"

"Relax, Anna. Breathe," Kristoff instructed when he saw her starting to hyperventilate. He demonstrated with deep breaths of his own until she mimicked him and visibly started to ease. "It's not good to work yourself up like that."

"I know, I know." Anna heaved a sigh. "I'm just so confused about everything that's been going on. First there's all the nonsense involved in keeping Hans in Arendelle, and then there's the fact that you and I still need to figure out the details of our wedding, and trying to figure out how to deal with this wacko group going around trying to attack leaders, and to put the final touch  _Elsa_  and  _Hans_  having weird feelings for each other? Yeesh."

"Wait, what? Go back to that wacko group. Did I miss something?"

"Oh… haha…" Anna gave Kristoff an sheepish smile. "Don't tell  _anyone_ this, since it seems like it's confidential. Uh, there was a Council meeting earlier, and the French dignitary brought it up. Looks like there was a mixup with sending some of the convicts over here and he came to address that."

Kristoff looked to Sven, a sensation of dread coming from the pit of his stomach.

"Are these convicts in any way related to the people who attacked a while ago?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Um, yes…" Anna covered her eyes, ashamed. "I'm freaking out more over Elsa and Hans than I am with a possible coup d'état. I need to get my priorities straight."

"Well, for starters, is there anything you can do about it?"

"Ah… not really, no."

"Then I think it's best that you've got other things on your mind, at least with the former, you have enough influence to do something."

Anna's eyes lit up, "Oh! That reminds me, we should start announcing the audition dates for the talent show."

"And you were reminded of this because…"

"Well…" Anna drawled. "Just letting you know ahead of time it was Elsa's idea, not mine. I take no credit, especially if it turns out terrible."

Kristoff raised an amused brow. "Oh? Well, go on. Shoot."

"She wants Hans in the show. He'll be disguised and all, so people don't run him off, but she also wants this big reveal thing. Maybe it'll make the people more sympathetic towards him somehow, or something."

A beat.

Then Kristoff and Sven looked to each other with the former bursting out in laughter. The reindeer snorted in response.

"See? I knew it was a terrible idea! Oh, but Elsa was so  _sure_ , and I didn't want to hurt her feelings and—" she started, but was cut off by the gasping blond.

"No, no, no," he wheezed, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just –" Kristoff composed himself, swallowing back a fit of giggling. "It's just that it sounds ridiculous. I don't think that's how you get people to like you."

"Well, so- _rry,_ sir. I'm not a cynic like you."

"Anna, sorry if it came out mean, I didn't intend it that way. Look, this is  _Prince Hans_  we're talking about. Sure, he's changed and all, but even so he's still super serious. I don't think he's even capable of easing up a bit to  _entertain_  an audience. Really, just imagine it: rigid, likely really boring. I wouldn't be surprised if he were to perform a funeral march at a  _wedding_ ,and given how much I've come to learn about him, he seems to be the kind of guy to actually do that."

Kristoff saw Anna squint her eyes and looked skyward, probably imagining the ludicrousness of such a performance. Then a choked laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head.

"You've got a point there," Anna said. "But he's still going to be in it, as Elsa requested."

"And what was his stance on it?"

"After I told him that my sister wanted him to perform, he said yes. And,  _oh my goodness_ , you'd think that he was a naïve, hormonal teenager who talked to his first crush with how shy he got. Ugh! Seriously,  _that_  was the man that tried to woo me and take the kingdom?"

She didn't say her complaints as vehemently as it could have been, Kristoff was pleased to note. It meant that she was trying to move past it, which was admirable to see in his fiancée. That said, she still sounded annoyed.

A servant approached them and apologized for interrupting their conversation, saying that the queen wanted to meet with the two of them in the gardens. Upon hearing the summons, the both of them sobered, whatever they were discussing forgotten. Kristoff tugged Sven to follow him.

Given that the queen's requested meeting-place were the gardens, it was going to be a "family meeting."

###

"Okay, so now that we're all here, does anyone have any news they would like to share before we begin? Thoughts? Concerns?" Elsa asked from where she sat on a marble bench. Anna hunkered down beside her, pulling her feet onto the slab in an unprincesslike manner. Elsa didn't think much of it, since they weren't at a formal affair. One unspoken rule about family meetings was for one to be themself, to be open. If Anna didn't want to follow the rules of propriety during the meeting, no one was going to scold her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans said from where he rested against a nearby tree. He gestured to Sven and Olaf. "Why are they here?"

"It's a family meeting, and they're part of the family," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"Alright." Hans nodded, then with an inquisitive, squinted eye, "Why am  _I_ here if this is a family meeting?"

"Obviously whatever reason Elsa wants to talk about with us, it concerns you."

The small bite in Anna's tone didn't go past Elsa's notice, and so she cleared her throat to draw the negative tension in the air to attention. Anna, realizing Elsa's insinuations, smiled meekly at her sister and Hans and mouthed "sorry."

"I've got a thought!" Olaf called, hopping on one foot and waving his twig-hands in the air. Elsa nodded for him to continue. "Apple slices make terrible noses."

The rest of the gathered looked at the snowman in disbelief, the context of his statement not apparent.

When it didn't appear that Olaf would elaborate, Elsa brushed off the peculiarity of the snowman and gestured for anyone else to have their moment to share.

Elsa was pleased to see that Kristoff was used to the "family meetings" dynamic by now from his months residing in the castle and took the opportunity to share.

"I finally got Hans and I to reach an understanding," the blond stated. "He should be free from any outbursts like earlier for a while."

"That's good to hear," Elsa said. "I was worried I made a mistake in leaving the two of you alone, but I'm glad to see that you're more than capable at handling this situation."

"Believe me, Princess Anna found a keeper right there," Hans said, a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone. Kristoff rolled his eyes and grinned but said nothing to retort.

Strange. How were those two so friendly to one another so suddenly? Elsa just might have to pry the details from Kristoff later, since it was already a given that Hans wouldn't share such things. Yet. But that was a matter she could discuss at another time. It seemed the mood of the meeting was settled enough to break the news.

"King Pieter and six of his brothers in the Southern Isles will be seeking asylum in Arendelle," she announced, not wanting to lose the chance to address the matter by easing into it slowly. "I've already made my decision, but I wanted to let you guys have proper warning before their arrival. And… possibly come up with ideas of  _how_  to welcome them in a way that Arendelle doesn't see their motives for coming here in a hostile light."

"Wait, wait, wait. What?" Anna interjected. "Asylum? What happened? What's going on?"

"Prince Hans' brothers have been attacked by a group of coordinated assassins while Prince Anders was here, according to the letter the king sent me. The king requested asylum here since he hadn't received responses from anyone else."

Elsa tried her best to word it in a way to explain the situation to those listening, leaving out the details of the Council meeting, and was glad to see that Anna was able to put two and two together with how her eyes widened slightly in realization. The princess knew that Elsa suspected the Order of the Lynx was related to the attack in the Southern Isles. Hopefully, the list of people who knew that ended there, since it would prevent further complications.

"So you want ideas on how to get them over here without raising the hackles of the people?" Kristoff asked. Elsa nodded affirmatively.

"If you have any ideas, I'm open to them."

The group fell silent, even Olaf seemed a lot more subdued than usual.

It was Anna who came up with a plan.

"It's probably a terrible idea, and who knows how they're going to behave and all that, but… what if we invite them to the wedding? We're inviting a lot of royalty and nobility from nearby kingdoms, so why not? It won't look as weird, I guess. People will just think we're being polite, considering that the Southern Isles is just a few days' boat ride over."

"Are you sure you want my brothers at your wedding?" Hans asked. "Don't you want your special day to be, I don't know, perfect?"

"Oh, please. Perfection in this world? I might be naïve, but even  _I_  know that's impossible. Besides, the whole elaborate wedding ceremony is for the benefit of Arendelle anyway. Plus, as much as I've hated you in the past, I don't really like turning people away if I have something to help them out with."

Elsa smiled at the friendlier-than-normal dialogue between her sister and the prince. It was nice to see Anna show a bit of her selfless side shining through, now that the anger between the two wasn't so visible.

"Okay, all those in favor of Anna's plan, say 'aye,'" Elsa said, turning to look at each individual in the group in turn.

"Aye, of course," Anna said.

"Aye," Kristoff responded. Sven grunted, which Kristoff translated as an 'aye.'

"Aye," Hans murmured hesitantly.

"Those who oppose, say 'nay,'" Elsa continued. They all looked to the snowman, who was distracted by a butterfly that landed on a nearby flower. Olaf snapped his head to witness everyone staring at him.

"Olaf, 'aye' or 'nay?'" Anna asked.

"Oh! Eye! Because I've got two, and I'm not a horse," Olaf explained cheerfully. Anna slumped her shoulders and sighed. Kristoff slapped a hand to his forehead, exasperated. Hans, however, looked like he was trying to fight to urge to smile.

"Now that's all settled, anyone else have anything else we need to bring up that everyone else should know about?" Elsa asked the group.

Hans stared at the floor and kicked the dirt beneath his foot, obviously trying to keep attention away from him. However, his attempts were in vain, since all eyes turned to him.

"Should we discuss the date of another execution?" Hans said, shrugging sheepishly.

"What? So soon? Aren't they supposed to be spaced out by few weeks or something?" Anna asked, gesticulating wildly.

"Queen Elsa said as soon as the call comes that I tell someone. While the few weeks of a buffer was the pattern, it appears that the land doesn't want to follow it right now."

"Do you think you'll be okay until the end of the week?" Elsa asked. Hans nodded. "Okay, we'll schedule for an execution for then."

The "family meeting" went on for another half-hour, mainly with Anna and Kristoff discussing the details of the wedding, and the occasional whim of thought or observation by Olaf.

By the time it was over and everyone was about to return to whatever business they had next, Hans lightly clasped Anna's upper arm with a gloved hand, getting her attention. He drew back his hand when it was apparent that he was testing her patience a little.

"I'm sorry, I'm just –" he said hastily. He cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"For what?" the princess asked.

"To be willing to help my brothers. I still have some unsettled business with them, but I worry for their safety just the same."

Anna shared a small smile. "Really, it's nothing. But you know what? Now you've got more incentive to make your performance in the talent show more worthwhile: you get to be performing for your brothers! And I've got the  _perfect_ piece for you to play."

Elsa giggled at the horrified expression the prince had when he made that realization. It was refreshing to see the two not so at odds with one another. Though Anna might not have had proper closure regarding the events during Arendelle's eternal winter, it warmed her heart to see that her little sister was working past it. Greater still was the fact that she was able to do so in the presence of the very same man who wronged her.

With all the tumult that surrounded everyone during these perilous times, it seemed that things were  _finally_  starting to fall in place for the better.


	15. Relationship Issues

The months leading up to the wedding went by well.

 _Too_  well, if you were to ask Hans. Nothing worthwhile to note had happened in the preparation months, since everything had been going according to plan. His audition went rather well, though Anna still insisted that he needed a bit more work and forced him to practice his piece as she played the accompaniment on the piano. It was a traditional Arendellian folk song, if he remembered the details correctly.

Other than that area of the wedding preparations, sending the invitations? Done, and all guests accounted for without any issue. His brothers' arrival ensured? Completed through the little addendum to  _their_ invitation. Being bored out of his wits when he had to watch Anna and Kristoff discuss itinerary and color and "No, having six courses of chocolate in a seven-course dinner isn't appropriate" and having Kristoff plead with him to back him up on that statement? Accomplished as expected. The land kept at bay with the completed executions of criminals, one by one, when commanded to? Yes, even  _that_  went by without incident.

Well… sort of. The people of Arendelle were in outrage since they were done almost every day. There were some whispers among them that believed that he was tarnishing their good queen's courtyard by making it into a slaughterhouse. But what else could he do? Risk going mad and lack the ability to distinguish killing innocents from killing those that deserved it? Still, the fact that the sacrifices were needed more often was probably something to worry about. It  _should_  worry him more, and every logical fiber in his being knew he should be more careful.

But it was as if all the anxiety flew out the window – along with all sense of reason, it seemed – with every moment he spent alongside the queen when she saw it fit to relieve him of having to wait on the soon-to-be-wed couple. Most of the time, he was with her in the throne room as she listened to Arendelle's citizens, being asked every so often of his opinion on matters when there was a lull in the visits. At first, he wasn't quite aware of her intentions for doing so (maybe it was the sensation of butterflies in his stomach?), but he became aware of the fact that she did it to get to know him better.

He didn't outright admit that he knew, since it might dissuade her to stop (there was still that bit about himself that enjoyed attention, but fortunately it was more properly guided), so in the very least he decided to reciprocate the gesture.

After all, it was only polite to know a person if they helped to turn one's life around.

He found out the queen was a lot less emotionally secure than he had originally thought, contrary to her natural ability to rule and stick to her word and whatnot. They were similar in the way that they kept mostly to themselves, showing only what was needed and not what was implied. The only difference was that Elsa was more practiced in dealing with it in a healthy manner. He finally understood the meaning of having him borrow the violin. Despite his misgivings with the instrument, he did feel a little more composed after bowing a few notes when he was alone with the music, not having to please the ears of anyone else.

If he were to be completely honest, the moments he shared with the queen were his favorite parts of the day, an outcome he would have never expected to happen after his first disastrous visit to Arendelle. While Hans might see a deeper meaning in their interactions and that possibly the queen didn't, at least he would rest assured with the fact that the two of them were intellectually equal. The two of them could keep up with conversations on the nuances of social structure and hierarchy, history and the lessons it taught, and other such subjects that Princess Anna had stuck her tongue out in distaste when she eavesdropped one time.

"You two are so boring, you find  _boringness_  to be fun," the princess had remarked.

All in all, the short, friendly conversations – at least in the queen's part, Hans was a lovesick puppy whenever he spoke with her – they shared were like a balm to the sores of his soul; her purity of character an oasis in the desert that was Hans' past lack of romantic affections.

And it was saying something if he used such disgustingly flowery metaphors to describe his feelings for the queen, because he  _did not_  do things like that. Absolutely not.

In all his years, never once had Prince Hans fallen in love with anyone before. But it appeared when his time came, he would fall hard. Curiouser still, he didn't even  _care_  if she didn't feel the same. Even if the queen only came to see him as a friend in the end, he did promise himself that admiration from afar would be okay. He just never wanted the happy feeling to end, even when he knew that it would soon come to pass.

But who would blame him? The misery that he was forced to live, the burdens that came with witnessing the light leaving a person's eyes each time he performed an execution, the darkness that surrounded with his uncertain future – the relaxing months he spent in Arendelle leading up to the wedding celebration were the best he'd had in possibly his whole life.

Sure, the days lacked flavor in how routine they became, but it was still better than how things  _could've_  been.

Yes, things were going a bit  _too well_. The pixie hadn't made another appearance, despite how "boring" he'd become, as was her promise. So far. And despite the near-daily ritual of soul sacrificing, there wasn't a shortage of dangerous criminals to execute. Arendelle was upset with him, yet they didn't act out in their anger.

Things that could've easily went wrong just… didn't. Hans constantly wondered to himself what would be the event that would mess up the routine.

And so, his answer then came in the form of his brothers coming in a rickety merchant ship a week before the wedding. Their surprise arrival was handled in the queen's meeting room, where his siblings met with Arendelle's royal family along with Kristoff, himself, and the guard. Due to their untimely arrival, the docking of their ship was met with little fanfare and his brothers were secreted into the castle, a horrendously difficult feat the guards were able to handle in the brightness of the summer day.

King Pieter had finally finished detailing the events that led to half of his family making their exodus from the Southern Isles, which were as horrific as Hans had feared. There was yet another attack, but this time it was  _inside_  his family's castle, but Anders' officers were prepared and on-duty to aid the castle guards when the incident occurred, so no one had died.

They didn't escape unscathed, however. Fortunately, most of their injuries consisted of minor bruises and scrapes. Unfortunately for the twelfth-born Aleksander, he lost a few fingers. The hand that received the sudden amputations were still covered in bandages, a bit of blood still soaking through the material.

Even more worrying was the fact that the attackers escaped, and his family took that as a cue to flee in secret. King Pieter left the next-in-line Prince Holger in charge of the kingdom while they were away.

And so there they were in Arendelle, sharing uncomfortable glances and stares with their youngest brother after the king finished the tale.

"So uh, care to introduce us?" Anna asked Hans, oblivious to the tense atmosphere surrounding the Westergaard siblings. Hans sighed and wondered why he still worried for them despite still disliking their guts. Familial relationships had to be the strangest force out of everything.

"His Royal Majesty Pieter Westergaard the Second, King of the Southern Isles," Hans said with as much snide bravado he could muster, holding out his hands to present his eldest brother to the hosts. He added sarcastically, "Wrangler of the most unruly brood of princes you'd ever meet."

Pieter gave Hans a nasty look to reprimand him. The younger just rolled his eyes and gestured to the next-oldest brother that was present.

"Prince Magnus, third-born, and yes, he sleeps with his sword at his side." He directed everyone's attention to the saber that hung from his brother's belt. "Also known as 'Prince of Paranoia' in the household."

"It's kept us alive so far, so it's a title I hold dear to my heart, baby brother," Magnus retorted.

"But not at near as you coddle that blade, older brother," Jakob cracked. Christian whooped and gave Jakob a high five.

"Numbers six and seven are the twins Prince Jakob and Prince Christian," Hans continued, ignoring staring contest that started between Jakob and Magnus, the latter participating in the activity with intense ferocity. At hearing their names, the twins turned to the Arendellians and gave synchronous slight bows of their heads, cutting the battle of nerves short. "But we all agree that it's just easier to call them Ib and Ian when they're together, since it's hard enough to differentiate the two."

"Aw, you remembered our pet names," Ian (Christian) gushed mockingly.

"Have you been receiving poetry lessons while you were away? You've suddenly acquired the knack for using poetic license," Ib (Jakob) teased. "I always knew you were a romantic."

At the off-handed mention of "romance," Hans felt his cheeks redden, to his horror, and had to avert his face to keep his more-observant brothers from noticing. Unsurprisingly, that failed terribly.

"Ah, so cold-hearted Hans fell in love at last," Rasmus deadpanned. "A pity. I thought you gave up on altruistic emotions years ago, though it wouldn't surprise me to see you killing the unlucky gal in the end."

"Insinuate something like that again, and I'll make sure you don't wake up tonight," Hans threatened with a dark glare. Rasmus shrugged and leaned back in his chair, face as still as stone.

Anna coughed into her hand, "Patience."

Hans grumbled but pushed the anger aside for now. "Prince Rasmus, ninth in line. Don't let his stoic demeanor fool you into thinking he has anything worthwhile to say."

The twins sputtered out in obnoxious guffaws and reached out to give Hans high fives. Not seeing why the two imbeciles found the remark so  _hilarious_ , he scowled at them to dissuade their strange habit to congratulate another whenever they heard or saw something humorous occur. Seeing their youngest brother's reluctance to join in their antics, they high-fived each other instead.

Hans had to resist the growing urge to high-five his own  _forehead_. Tempting. Oh so  _very_  tempting. Those two were already thirty, but they composed themselves like ten-year-olds.

Which brought him to the last two brothers, the ones that were involved in pretending he was invisible for two years. Also known as the least-mature out of all of his siblings in his books.

"Next is Prince Elias, the eleventh-born, and Prince Aleksander, number twelve."

There were quite a few choice words Hans wanted to say about the brother closest to him in birth order. That he was a weakling of no will of his own, that the only action "ol' Sander" would ever take was if someone else would tell him to do it. A betrayer. A person you could never trust. The very reason why he spurned his family over the years. While Elias deserved just as much vehemence due to playing the "invisible game," him and Hans didn't have the history that existed between the twelfth and thirteenth.

A bead of sweat rolled down Aleksander's temple. Oh yes, it appeared that he knew what Hans wanted to say as well.

The choice to blow up and let this family watch the coming tirade had suddenly become alluring.

But for the benefit of the innocents (Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff), he thought it best to keep his mouth shut on the details.

Well, not  _all_  the details.

"Those two comprised of the team of three dunces that ignored me for two years," Hans said vehemently. "I wonder where in the world  _that_  ingenious idea came from."

"The 'dunce' who came up with that is  _dead_ , Hans," Elias reminded. "And you were the one that killed him!" Everyone in the room turned their attentions to Elias with looks that ranged from shock to admonishing disappointment.

Hans set his jaw, trying to stem the flood of emotions that threatened to overcome him at the memory. Aleksander stood from his seat and walked over to Hans, who stepped away to keep his distance. The hurt look in Sander's face jabbed at the barrier between calmness and hysterics Hans had hastily built, so he turned to exit from the meeting room.

"If I may be excused, Queen Elsa, I need to prepare for the execution today," Hans said tersely. The queen looked on in sympathy and approved his dismissal.

He thought he was able to make a clean getaway with the guard in tow until Aleksander caught up to him.

"Hans, please. Just stop," Aleksander pleaded.

"What, so you could betray me again?" Hans bit out, halting his steps against his better judgment.

"No! Never anything like that, never again."

"Then just leave me alone, I'm actually  _asking_ for it this time."

"Please, can't you give me a second chance to prove myself? I know that what I did in the past was wrong. I know that I shouldn't have let my need to fit in to influence me to follow Klaus years ago."

"You left me alone, Sander, when I needed you most. I trusted you! I thought you were there for me, I thought you were better than everyone else in the family, since you were the one with all those life-lessons and pep talks about courage and becoming the best man I could be. You were the only one that I thought believed in me, that understood me. But you know what you are?"

Aleksander cowed at the angry lash of words and admitted in a small voice, "I'm a hypocrite."

"Yes. You're a hypocrite."

"But I want to change that, Hans. Let me be there for you this time. I know that everyone else is upset after hearing that you were the one responsible for Klaus' death. Elias took the news the hardest, and he's still trying to figure out how he feels about the whole situation." He held up his bandaged hand, blood still seeping through. "I was a coward, before. But I don't want to be, Hans. It's stupid that, in order for me to realize it, I had to lose a few fingers. Please, give me one more chance. I don't want the hurt between us to continue any longer."

Hans' hard gaze softened at seeing his brother's injury, but the old wound in his own heart was reopened and stung. "I don't know if I can." Aleksander looked close to crumpling into himself at the verbal blow. Hans heaved a sigh and continued, "But I will try."

Aleksander's face brightened at the supplementary phrase.

"Despite everything, there is good in you," his brother remarked. "I couldn't be more proud."

"Stay for the execution, and I'm sure you'd change your mind."

"Don't say that, brother. I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it out to be. There's always a silver lining, right?"

Hans gave Aleksander a dirty look. He  _honestly_  didn't know what Hans was dealing with?

"I-I don't mean to say that this whole thing isn't dreadful, because it is," Aleksander sputtered. Another unimpressed stare from Hans. The older brother gulped. "I'm just trying to encourage you."

"You're out of practice. Just... go back to the meeting room before they start thinking that I murdered you."

Aleksander chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head with a quivering palm. "Uh, yeah. I'll... do that." Whether his strides to the meeting room was a lot more hurried than what would've been considered normal, Hans didn't make any indication that he noticed. He was glad to have his brother out of his hair for the time being.

"He seems like a rather pleasant person," George the guard said absentmindedly as he and Hans made their way to the dungeons.

"Things aren't always as they seem," Hans said, obliging the guard with small talk for once.

"I shouldn't be surprised. After all, at first you seemed nice, then you seemed evil. Now you seem stubborn and cold, but after following you around all the time, I know that you've got a soft side."

"Please don't say any more, Sir George" the prince huffed.

"As you wish, my liege," the guard said. "After all, actions speak louder than words. And it's quite obvious through your actions that you've become quite smitten with Her Majesty."

Hans groaned irritation. Of all the guards Elsa had assigned to watch him,  _why_  did it have to be George?

At least his company was much more preferred over the Westergaard brothers.

###

Back in the meeting room, Kristoff was  _incredibly_  tempted to join Hans, and by the looks on the two sister's faces, they were in the same boat as him.

As Prince Anders had explained when he was in Arendelle, the brothers were downright deplorable. Sure, they each carried themselves with an air befitting of royalty, and they behaved themselves when King Pieter was there.

But when he left to go search for Prince Aleksander when it seemed like he was taking a bit too long, the meeting room turned into a madhouse! The twins were utterly inappropriate, Magnus kept reaching for the handle of his sword for no real reason – he even drew it one time when the twins' annoyances got more volatile – which made Kristoff nervous, and Elias kept glaring at Anna and Kristoff in condescending looks. Elias tried to hide it with a friendly smile, but he wasn't as good as Hans when it came to pretending, so it didn't go past Kristoff's notice. Rasmus was… something else entirely. Was that man even human? Or a statue?

"So, Mister Bjorgman  _didn't_  put some kind of a hex on you?" Prince Christian asked Anna after the room's conversation landed on her engagement and upcoming marriage to Kristoff.

"What are you even implying? That my love for him isn't real?" Anna gasped, turning red in the face.

"He's just saying that after knowing him for a year, you get married? How long was the engagement? A month?" Prince Jakob asked, a mocking tone punctuating his words.

" _Nine_  months, actually," Anna said, her fists clenching and unclenching. "And what business is it to you?"

"Not much, except that I'd rather attend a wedding where the couple actually ends up having a lasting marriage afterwards."

The princess looked at the twins in disgust and disbelief. Kristoff felt anger bubble up inside him at hearing the blatant disrespect of his fiancée and stood from his seat at the meeting table, his palms slamming against the top of the long, wooden table.

"Enough, you two!" Prince Magnus exclaimed, drawing his sword and gesturing to the twins. "You dare insult our hosts? Come, we should settle matters like men."

"What? Here? Right now?" Jakob inquired and quailed. Christian shared a similar expression.

"You know that if you could run your mouths at any time, I should be able to call for a settlement at any time as well."

"But it's two against one! How are those fair odds?" Christian argued. "It'll be a losing fight for you anyway."

"Mister Bjorgman will be my second." Magnus looked to the perplexed, blond ice-harvester. "After all, you insult his betrothed, you insult him."

Wait a minute… what? A second? A settlement? Odds? It sounded like some kind of duel was about to take place.

"He doesn't even have a weapon. Come on, Maggie, the poor sap won't be able to hold his own."

"Call me that one more time, and I'll make sure you and I handle that affront one-on-one."

"Enough! All of you!" Elsa blurted out, cutting her hand through the air in emphasis. The air around the room turned a few degrees colder, the occupants in the room (sans the queen) shivered at the chilly sensation. "Prince Hans had warned me of your in-fighting and bickering, and despite his warnings, I opened my kingdom to all of you for asylum. I suggest each of you remain on your best behavior while under my protection, else you will have to look elsewhere to seek refuge. There will be no duels, no disrespect to anyone else who resides in this castle, nor any attempts to antagonize Prince Hans. Disregard any of these boundaries I have placed upon each of you, and I will take it as an affront to my authority and all of you who won't follow them will be on the next boat away from this kingdom. Is this understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," came the brothers' response in unison.

"Now, remain silent as the king returns with Prince Aleksander, unless you want to bear witness to the reason why I've been called the 'Snow Queen.'"

Wow, that shut all of them up quite effectively. Kristoff had never seen the queen so authoritative with anyone before, since she was usually the mild-mannered, easy-going kind of monarch.

"A duel, really?" Kristoff asked Elsa when the silence in the room made him uncomfortable.

"I thought Prince Hans was exaggerating when he told me," Elsa sighed. "Turns out that he was wildly understating the truth."

"Ya think?" Anna grumbled. "I still don't know why I thought my idea was a good one anyway. These guys are terrible."

"We're still in the room, and we aren't deaf," Jakob said. Anna and Elsa gave him strict glares, which caused him to clamp his mouth tight into a straight line.

Oh boy. This was going to be  _fun._

Not.

###

Hans didn't know why today's particular criminal to be executed was getting to him. Despite his best efforts to distance himself from the "dirty work" of being an executioner (being distracted by Elsa helped in those matters), the man who haughtily crossed his arms, obviously trying to hide hysteria, in the cell in front of Hans had somehow found a chink in the prince's wall of apathy.

Was it because this man was the last of the assassins that killed all those servants and guards? Was it because the mystery surrounding the criminal's cohorts was never revealed to him? It certainly couldn't be the words that were spewing vehemently from the gutless convict. The condemned never really had anything worthwhile to say to their executioner.

It was a good thing that Hans had a vow of silence, since  _he himself_  had something to say to the criminal. At least, he felt like he did. Try to lie his way of out of having his soul ripped out? Seriously? Hans wasn't blind, he remembered the faces of those bloodthirsty assassins. And so did everyone else in that dining room that night.

Yet… somehow this one was different. Maybe it was due to the fact that this particular man was the one who suffered from Hans' curse? Regardless, he knew that this time, he would need a  _long_  break from executions for a while; the land's demands be damned.

"You're making a grave mistake," the convict threatened, glowering. "I know who you are, Prince Hans. I'm sure by now you'd have received word that some of your brothers have perished."

The criminal was blatantly misinformed of his brothers' safety, so Hans kept his face impassive, but something pulled him to cease his writing of the man's crime-details and last statements that Hans would later read aloud to the audience. It was after the first few executions that the judges requested that Hans write them himself, since the paperwork had greatly increased after the sudden need for more sacrifices.

It was alright for him, he supposed, since it meant that there wouldn't be any surprises waiting for him at the platform when it came time to announcing the misdeeds. Hans came dangerously close to wringing a man's neck with his own hands one time when he read that the despicable excuse for a human being had been convicted of breaking into an orphanage and murdering the children within, but not without robbing a few of their innocence before they died.

Disgusting. Horrible. Monstrous.

It was completely within his jurisdiction as executioner to change the punishment into crushing the man's windpipe, but Elsa had explicitly stated that they were not to suffer. Or if they did, then it would be brief. Also, performing an execution in such a barbaric manner would likely cause an even greater uproar in Arendelle, and that wouldn't go over well. There would definitely be conflict between those that believed the man deserved it and those that  _really_  hated Hans' guts despite the depraved nature of the condemned convict.

And the fact that the land would be without a sacrifice for a little longer was also a factor. Too risky.

"If you kill me, there will be no one left to take up the Order leader's mantle. We are the only ones that can stop chaos from reigning," the would-be assassin continued, bringing Hans back to the present. "If it weren't for the fact that you're so obviously love-struck with the queen, you would have been put down as soon as your identity was confirmed. Your family is too large to let the opportunity pass us by."

"What are you going on about, you halfwit? Prince Hans' brothers are fine," Sir George said.

Thank  _goodness_  for big-mouthed George and his lack of a vow of silence. Now he'd  _never_  be able to finish writing the document!

"No!" the man wailed. "You're lying! They couldn't have failed!" He uncrossed his arms and brought them to grasp at the sides of his head. Then he released his hold as his face lit up in an epiphany. "Unless... Yes. This time I'm sure."

"What? What are you so sure about?"

"The knowledge I possess will die with me, unless you let me go. The fate of the world depends on it."

Hans had enough of this nonsense. The criminal's statements had tied his involvement with the group of people that caused his brothers to flee, or at least it seemed that way. However, Hans wasn't an investigator or an inspector, nor was he trained to seek out ways to see if the man's words were true. For all the prince knew, the man was just trying to con his way out of his punishment, which was highly likely.

He might bring it up to Elsa later, but there was no way he was going to set the man free. No information was worth having a dangerous individual out in public, free to carry on with his old wrongs, right?

"Would you like to have your face covered or uncovered during the execution?" Hans finally asked.

At this, the criminal paled and gaped his mouth like a fish gasping for air.

"Did you not hear me? I must tell the others!" he pleaded.

Hans retained his apathy, giving him a look as if to say "I'm not going to repeat myself."

"You are a fool," the man persisted. "You must let me go."

"Nah, you see there, halfwit, neither of us can do that except for the queen," George stated.

"In that case, I'd rather die than to appease  _her_ ," the criminal growled. "Don't hide my face, so the she can see the hate in my eyes as you kill me."

Hans sighed and rubbed his temples, the leather covering his hands scratching his skin. The headache that was building in intensity was definitely from the circus-like events that occurred so far.

It was going to be a  _long_  day.

###

"Elsa, you should really come listen to Hans' piece he's going to perform. I think he's got it down pat at this point," Anna said as she lounged in the sitting room with Elsa and Kristoff, nibbling at a cookie that was from a plate of them on the table.

"I think I should," Elsa said, a bit lost in thought. The meeting with Hans' brothers had ended a few hours ago and Hans himself was still busy trying to prepare the prisoner for execution. The Westergaards were situated into their rooms, separated accordingly as she had promised. There needed to be some accommodations for a few of the princes, namely an increase of the amount of guards that would make their rounds where they stayed. It was obvious that she couldn't trust the brothers not to physically maim one another without proper supervision, Prince Magnus in particular.

Did that man  _really_  need to have his sword with him at all times? Talk about paranoid. And considering their earlier behavior in the meeting room, it was no wonder each of them were still single.

"So… have you decided what you think about him?" Anna asked.

"Hm?" Elsa said, finally snapping out of her reverie.

"Really, Elsa? Prince Hans is so obviously attracted to you like a magnet, and you're leaving him – and everyone else, for that matter – wondering if you like him in the same way or not. C'mon, it's been months since his confession."

"Well, what do  _you_  think of him, Kristoff? Considering how informal you and him have gotten all of a sudden, you'd likely have a worthwhile opinion."

The two sisters looked to the ice harvester in expectation, the gentleman cringing slightly under their gazes.

"He's alright. I mean, he doesn't seem capable of stabbing anyone in the back anymore. I think it's mission accomplished?" Kristoff said. "You know, that whole reason why we had to rehabilitate him in the first place?"

"Oh, right. Well, I agree with Kristoff," Anna said. "While I still feel a bit iffy about him myself, I think he's not capable of causing mass destruction the way he is right now."

"I don't know," Elsa said, sinking into the cushioned back of the armchair she sat on to hide from the question somewhat.

A knock at the door, then and a scowling Hans carrying a violin case walked into the sitting room with a giddy Sir George trailing behind him with the scythe and a bag draped against his back. Elsa had to resist the urge to laugh at the contrasting display.

"Prisoner not cooperating?" Kristoff asked. Hans rolled his eyes and made a circular motion with a finger around his ear. "Oh, a crazy one, that sounds pleasant."

"I got Elsa to finally hear you play," Anna said, hopping from her relaxed position to skip to the piano at the corner of the room. "Hopefully you don't mess up this time, since I told her you got it down." She flashed an innocent grin in his direction.

"Thanks for the words of motivation, Princess Anna," Hans said sarcastically.

"Hey, you did fine the last practice," Kristoff encouraged. "Besides, it's just Queen Elsa, the very same person who brought out that violin for you."

"Look at you two, a match made in heaven," Hans remarked as he brought the violin out of its case and started tuning its strings. Anna played the corresponding keys on the piano to check his pitch every so often. When he was ready to play, he gingerly removed his left glove and tucked it into the inside pocket of his coat.

As Anna had pointed out in the past, Hans' notes were shaky, but it seemed that she didn't know it's underlying reason. Elsa saw that he was tense, nervous as he drew out the notes from the violin. It reminded her so much of when she was being coronated, having to remove her gloves while in front of a huge crowd of possible witnesses to the exposure of her powers. She almost called for the performance to stop when she realized that Prince Hans was getting lost in the music and was a lot calmer.

It appeared that Elsa's suggestion that he take up a more creative outlet had worked.

The piece he performed was lively, even more so when she and Kristoff started clapping along to its beat and Hans came to a part of the music where the dexterity of his hands were tested by playing a long string of notes in rapid succession. The wide grin on Hans' face when he finished the piece brought Elsa to return with an even wider one.

"Okay, so I think you two might have been onto something," Hans said after stretching his worked fingers and slipping the glove onto his hand once again. "But now I want to see what  _you've_  got, Bjorgman."

"What?" Kristoff said, mouth agape as Hans waved at Sir George. The guard pulled out a lute from the bag he carried and tossed it into the arms of the unwitting ice harvester.

"I made a quick stop to get this thing before coming here.  _I_  can't be the one hogging all the duet time with your soon-to-be wife when she's got a perfectly capable musician as a fiancé."

"I've never… but… Anna and I…" Kristoff looked to Anna in apprehension. "The lute isn't—"

"Hey, that sounds fun! Great idea you've got there!" Anna said, clapping her hands.

"You're terrible, Hans," Kristoff grumbled.

"I have you to blame for that, mister parole officer," Hans said, winking, as he put away the violin inside its case.

"Don't worry, Kristoff. We'll play something slower, so you can get your bearings," Anna persuaded.

After a bit of getting the two situated with the unusual pairing of instruments, they finally decided on a song to try out.

And, of course, it just  _had_  to be a love song. Elsa  _would_  be surprised if they didn't make such a song choice, since it seemed like it was the only kind of music that surrounded Kristoff and Anna every time they were together.

It was still beautiful to listen to, despite the strange stirrings of emotion she felt when Anna and Kristoff started to sing along to the music. Prince Hans seemed to be enjoying himself as well, his eyes closed and swaying slightly to the rhythm.

And then, out of nowhere, Hans reached out a hand to the queen, asking her to dance with him.

"I don't dance," Elsa said, her cheeks turning pink at the question. "I never learned."

"That's okay, I can teach you," he assured, an innocent look on his face. "Better late than never, right?"

"Loosen up a bit, Your Majesty," Sir George urged. "Dancing never hurt anyone."

Whether it was due to not wanting to hurt the prince's feelings, or the persuasion of the guard, or the mood Anna's and Kristoff's music was setting, or maybe even some part of her that she hadn't quite analyzed properly; something brought the monarch to take Hans' hand in her own and stand from her settee.

After a bit of guidance of where her hands and feet should be and constant reassurances that she was doing fine, they danced.

Okay, Elsa shouldn't put it in such cold terms.

They danced, and it was like the world around her was gone, her only focus was the man waltzing with her, his voice a low hum as he encouraged and corrected her movements in the dance. Her chest clenched as a feeling of shyness overcame her when she looked into his eyes, watching as their corners wrinkled as he smiled.

He was so close. He was holding her. He was… a really wonderful dancer.

Was this… was this what Anna kept pestering her about? Was this the feeling she wanted to make sure did or didn't exist?

He twirled her around, and she laughed as he caught her when she stumbled a bit.

Funny, the Snow Queen of Arendelle, bearer of magic that could curse the land into eternal winter, was happily making a fool of herself dancing with a man that would've killed for her crown.

Sometimes, life just liked to turn things around in strange ways.

###

Hans didn't know what came over him. It was just music, and he'd heard the betrothed couple sing the same song to each other before without the instrumental accompaniment to it.

But it was like adding Queen Elsa into the equation created a sense of boldness in him, driving him to make a request to dance with the queen, despite his past timidness and desire to avoid actively pursuing his obvious crush on Arendelle's ruler.

Irrational, right?

Whatever it was, his heart felt like it leapt out of his chest when Elsa actually  _agreed_  to dancing with him. Maybe he shouldn't be so rough on Sir George after helping to coax the queen.

As long as the guard didn't let whatever was happening in the sitting room out to the rest of the castle's workers, that is. A queen dancing with a servant? Maybe that wouldn't be so bad since Elsa didn't seem to be the kind to elevate herself so far above those that she ruled over. But specifically, with an executioner? A person who wanted to kill her?

 _Let it go, Hans,_  he thought to himself as he and Elsa stepped to the music.  _Just let it be. You don't have to have control over anything._

After convincing himself to do just that, he relaxed and enjoyed the company of the woman he was dancing with. So what if Elsa didn't feel the same way? So what if their past wasn't terrific?

All that was happening in the sitting room was one friend teaching another to dance. Innocent. Harmless.

However, it seemed the queen was a little less composed in her emotions than usual, ice radiating out of her feet as they spun to the music. He didn't notice it was happening, and neither did the queen it seemed, until he stepped on a patch of ice and slipped, pulling Elsa down with him as he fell to the floor.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry!" Elsa gasped as she helped him up.

"It's fine, it looks like we just got carried away, Your Majesty," he laughed as he tried to brush off the clumsy event that cut their dancing short. However, a sensation of an arc of lightning shot through his spine and it felt like a thousand hidden eyes were staring at him.

 _Why does your heart go to another?_  a voice called in his head.  _Does it not belong to me?_

The voice of the land… Why did it suddenly gain a sudden interest in him specifically all of a sudden? Of all the things it had ever said to him, it never said anything as if it was a one-on-one conversation. If the claustrophobic sensation of a presence all around him was anything to go by, the land was even  _looking_ directly at him.

He tried to push past the otherworldly presence bombarding his awareness and noticed that the queen was holding onto him lightly as she voiced concerns of his well-being, and that Kristoff's and Anna's playing had ceased. He saw the scythe in Sir George's possession and immediately grew anxious at the sight of it.

Hans tore himself away from Elsa's concerned grasp, grabbed the bladed tool from the guard's hands, and haphazardly tossed it out of the sitting room and shut the door, leaning against the wooden barrier as if it would protect him from the potential danger the scythe possessed.

 _You did not kill her when I commanded. Does Fate's hold over humanity protect your will from mine?_  the land sounded in his head.  _Are you going to betray me as my children had long ago?_

It was weird hearing the foreign voice that had become so familiar to him lately without the burning hate and anger that usually accompanied it. Or even that one-time feeling of freezing and fear a few months back when the French dignitary came to visit. No, this time, the land was… hurt? Confused?

Were those even the land's feelings? Or were they his own?

"Prince Hans, are you alright?" Elsa asked, inching her way towards him with hesitant steps.

"I'm going to need a moment," Hans replied and warded away another further attempts to help him from the queen with a dismissive wave of his hand. He closed his eyes, waiting for the moment to pass, for the nonexistent eyes to turn away from him. Then, when it seemed like the coast was clear, "I think we've delayed the execution long enough, don't you agree?"

###

If it were even possible, Prince Hans' bad day had gotten even worse. The wonderful, beautiful moment he shared with the queen was almost forgotten entirely.

The usual burning sensation in his chest had increased, but it wasn't too worrying since the condemned prisoner was scheduled to be sentenced and executed within a few hours.

 _Scheduled_ , but it didn't happen because the wretched man had died in his cell before Hans was even able to bring him from the dungeon. The causes of the man's death wasn't apparent, nor were there any witnesses to his passing. Due to this, Hans brought it upon himself to lock himself away in this quarters to protect the others from the danger his chest pain harbored. Luckily, Elsa understood this need and ordered for everyone to keep away from him for the time being.

It was going to be at least a few more days until the next convict was going to be sentenced, and there was no telling if that sentence was going to be death, either.

Hans was  _not_  going to let this fluke ruin the semblance of a future he had in Arendelle. He  _wasn't_  going to fall into madness and kill the people he had allowed to get close to him. They were resourceful. They could stop him when the time came.

If.  _If_  the time came.

A knock at his bedchamber door, and before Hans could turn away whoever was knocking from interrupting his solitude, Prince Elias barged into the room, the mechanism keeping the door locked completely busted.

This wasn't good.

"Hey, what's this going on about with pulling the queen's strings? You telling her that you need to be alone, and she  _listens_  to you? I thought you were  _her_  servant, not the other way around," Elias accused.

"Where are the guards? Shouldn't they be watching this room? Make sure people like  _you_  don't enter?" Hans growled. "Hadn't Anders told you about what I'm capable of?"

"He did, but you know me, I've never been one to fall for your acts."

"That's because you  _never listen!_  At least in Anders' case, he didn't believe one way or another unless there was evidence. In your case, you're  _always_  a skeptic."

"Well, you might have everyone else fooled, but  _I_  know the truth. You've gone completely  _mad_ , Hans. How is it that you've managed to get away with murder? You should've been hanged ages ago! Now you've got everyone going on about that you've 'changed' and that you're 'turning your life around.' Hah! You seriously think that's even possible within the span of a few months?"

"It is when you have a valid motivation, Elias. And I've got  _plenty_ , and it's enough for you to leave this room. Now."

"Oh, I'll leave, as soon as I'm finished dealing with the problem here."

"Elias, I love you and all, but this is not a good time to talk about whatever issues we still have with each other. Perhaps we can discuss this in a few days when I've got things settled."

"Talk? Who said anything about talking? No, after what you did to Klaus, I don't  _ever_  want to talk to you again." Elias' eyes started to brim with enraged tears as he pulled out a dagger hidden in his waistcoat.

Uh oh.

Hans flinched away from his brother when Elias reached for him.

"Elias! Stop! You don't want to do this!" Hans pleaded, ducking from a slash of the blade the eleventh prince wielded. With a kick, Hans pushed away Elias, interrupting another swing of the dagger from cutting into flesh. "Think about what you're doing!"

"Oh, I've thought about it, brother. I've thought, and thought, and  _thought._ Very hard. So hard, that I couldn't think anymore," Elias cut, punctuating his words with jabs of the blade that Hans twisted just out of reach from. "And you know what I think? You should be  _dead,_  Hans. You are  _not_  going to get away with killing him."

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to talk his brother out of his homicidal intentions, Hans called out as loud as he could muster, "Guards! Intruder!"

"Can it,  _Hansy._ No one is out there to save you."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, go on then! I'm not afraid of you!"

Hans knew his hand was forced, and he didn't like it. He tugged off a glove as Elias continued to slash at him, actually managing get his forearm cut when his attentions were divided trying to accomplish avoid getting hurt by the dagger and his own cursed hand. He resisted the urge to clamp down on the wound, since that would mean his exposed hand would touch the gash.

Elias, knowing about the curse, grabbed the arm of the uncovered hand when Hans flung it in his direction and buried the blade into the younger's palm, the dagger's blade protruding from the other side.

Hans cried out in agony at the injury, his screams intensifying when Elias yanked the dagger out from his hand, blood gushing from the giant piercing. Blindingly incapacitated by his wound, he was helpless when Elias brought the dagger to Hans' throat.

He was going to die. Oh God, he was going to die.

Elias chuckled as he brought the blade away from the jugular and slashed at Hans' shoulder.

"Wow, this was too  _easy._  I almost don't want this to end," Elias chuckled darkly. "Don't pass out on me just yet as I release some pent up frustrations, alright, baby brother?"

Another slash, another wound, another slice; each one brought Hans closer and closer to helplessness as he collapsed in dizziness at the agony of all the injuries his brother was adding to him. He could no longer fight back as the blood loss weakened him.

At then, the feeling of stares were back, boring into him from their invisible locations. He knew Elias couldn't sense them since he didn't stop in his torturous assault. A pity. There was a brief moment of hope that maybe the new developments in the pixie's curse on his heart would save him. At least the dagger-wielding prince was holding out on delivering the fatal stroke. For now.

It looked like he was out of luck, if he even had any to start with.

 _You cannot perish. You are still needed,_ the land said to him, its displeasure thrumming through his chest.

"Looks like you can't do anything about that," Hans said aloud as the edges of his vision started to fade, a feeble laugh escaping him when he realized his statement would be an appropriate response to both Elias and the land.

And finally, when it seemed like the nightmare would never end, the world went dark for Prince Hans.


	16. Secrets that They Keep

"Excuse me, uh, Mister Bjorgman, correct?"

Kristoff whirled around at the inquiry, almost tipping over the tray of food he was bringing for Hans – who had sequestered himself too eagerly after the stint in the sitting room earlier, a shame the pleasant enjoyment everyone shared in there was cut short – to come face-to-face with a wild-eyed Westergaard brother. The twelfth one, the one who got his fingers chopped off. Er… what was his name again? Hans had too many siblings, not to mention that Kristoff didn't really care to know any of them other than their quirks.

Hans' family continued to prove his stance that reindeers were  _much_ better than people. Older brothers especially.

"That would be me," Kristoff answered the prince. "Um… Prince…"

"Aleksander. Hans likes to call me Sander for short."

"Why? 'Cause of your abrasive personality?"

"Huh?"

"Given the…  _subtle_  hints that Hans was displaying back in the meeting room earlier, I'm guessing that you have every reason for me to ignore you and be on my way to deliver this," Kristoff bit in annoyance, lifting the tray slightly to indicate his interrupted task. Aleksander blinked a few times in shock, but shook it off and scampered to follow Kristoff when he continued his journey through the castle corridors.

"Oh… that. Uh... May I join you, perhaps?"

"Hans would rather be alone right now, so  _sure_ , why not?" Kristoff made sure to emphasize the sarcasm in his statement.

"I just want to make sure he's okay, and you're the only one brave enough to be near him after the queen gave her orders."

"Which you yourself aren't following."

"I know… and usually I would happily avoid whatever confrontation might come my way, but… I'm worried sick for him."

At this moment, another of the Westergaard siblings came to cross paths with Kristoff. The disturbingly apathetic one who gave off an air of nonchalance. Rasmus. Yes,  _that_  brother he remembered.

"Elias is missing," Rasmus said, cavalier.

"Rasmus, I'm not in the mood for your 'observations,'" Aleksander huffed.

"Not an observation but an announcement. He stole my favorite dagger from my trunk," Rasmus stated as he passed by the two to continue his procession through the hallway. "If you see him, I give you permission to stab him with it."

"I'm also not in the mood to get between whatever disagreement the two of you are having."

When Rasmus was out of sight, Kristoff sighed and said, "Is there no one normal in your family?"

"There's King Pieter, to an extent. And the married ones," Aleksander answered. "Though Holger and Anders toe the line to being abnormal. I think their children keep them from being true nut-cases, at least."

"What's got  _him_  all... strange, then? It's like trying to find humanity in a statue."

"Oh, Rasmus? Believe it or not, he used to be the 'Mister Go-getter' in the family. I remember that there were days he was just so busy with studying and trying to help out Holger in the hospitals, I wouldn't see him for weeks. But he was okay with it,  _happy_  to be busy, even."

"Hard to see that now, so what happened?"

"Father fell ill, and then a few weeks later, Mother did as well. It was... weird, actually, seeing everyone in the family trying to handle our parents' sudden deterioration in their own ways. It brought to light a lot of things in my brothers I never really saw before. Some good, some bad.

"Holger and Rasmus were the two who never left their sides, trying to find a cure and to make them comfortable alongside all the doctors. While Holger handled the added stress fine, Rasmus just... shut down. He has his moments still, but he tries not to care about anything, since he feels like 'caring too much could kill a person.' Anders escaped into his work, to the annoyance of Magnus, which ended up with the two of them dueling it out to settle on where Anders' 'true priorities' should lie. The twins just continued to live in denial. Pieter, Lars, and Niels – Pieter especially in leading them – tried their best to keep the kingdom from crumbling and our family from destroying itself."

"And what did  _you_ do?"

"I..." Aleksander avoided Kristoff's eye contact in shame. "...was a terrible brother to Hans. While we were a lot younger, Klaus, Elias, and I decided to just... ignore him one day. The charade ended a couple years later, but the hurt still lingered. So when tragedy happened when we were all adults, and when things didn't look like they were getting better... the wounds were brought up again. Instead of doing the right thing... the three of us just... ignored it, hoping it would resolve on its own. But it didn't. He ended up pushing us further away."

The two fell into an uncomfortable silence after that, Aleksander looking like he wanted to say a lot more, but was too afraid to continue.

"Well, go on then," Kristoff grumbled. "What else do you want to say?"

"You're close to Hans, right?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You call him 'Hans' for starters. Also, you're not a servant, so that bowl of soup looks a lot more suspect."

"Okay, sure, I'm close to him."

"Good." The prince grinned widely. "He tends to have a lot more enemies than friends, and to hear that he's actually doing a lot better here than at home is…" He trailed off as the two heard the faint echo of a desperate, piercing scream.

"Guards! Intruder!" came the undeniable voice of Prince Hans.

"Why aren't there guards around here?" Kristoff wondered aloud, dropping the tray of food as he dashed to Hans' room, precious seconds falling away as he pushed his legs to reach the servants' wing.

Why did castles have to be so big?

Another scream, and as he got closer, Kristoff could make out the sounds of a struggle and the rumbling of another man's voice. Yelps of pain radiated out to meet him as he barreled his way through the hallway.

The room was finally in sight, the handle that was supposed to be keeping it shut was mangled beyond repair.

Prince Rasmus' strange announcement that Prince Elias' whereabouts were unknown and that he was carrying a weapon around flashed in Kristoff's mind.

Elias was the one who brought up Klaus' death.

None of that sounded good.

Kristoff fell into a tiptoe to the room and sneaking a peek through a crack in the doorway. The soft patter of footsteps behind him signaled that Aleksander followed him. Through the limited field of view provided by the door's gap, the ice harvester's heart leapt to his throat.

Blood. On the walls. On the floor.

He wasn't sure if he was glad or worried that he couldn't see what state Hans was in. Was that even Hans' blood? Maybe it was someone else's?

Kristoff flinched away from the doorway when the bright daylight within the room disappeared, the sights inside completely obscured in blackness as if a curtain was placed in front of the door to prevent Kristoff from witnessing what was happening.

"What's going on?" Aleksander hissed in a whisper. "Is Hans alright?"

Just as Kristoff opened his mouth to respond, the door splintered into a thousand pieces as a body rocketed through the wood and bounced against the wall on the other side of the hallway to come to a rest next to the pair.

"Elias?!" the twelfth prince gasped, gawking at the crumpled form that lay before them.

"We should run," Elias groaned, whimpering as he held a mangled arm close to his torso.

###

In contrast to the disastrous first-impressions of Hans' brothers, the customary meal Elsa and Anna shared with them was going a lot more smoothly. Possibly because King Pieter was there.

Or maybe they still feared Elsa. It  _would_  prove useful if it continued to be effective, but she hated fear. Whether it was herself feeling fear, or anyone else, it was all the same when it came to her negative sentiments on the emotion.

Nevertheless, it was strange how Pieter's presence changed the brothers' composures in the dining hall. There was nothing rather remarkable about the king that pointed to why the princes behaved themselves better: no intimidation, no exercises of authority, no demands for respect. Even the traits that Elsa possessed that enabled her subjects to respect her authority were absent in the eldest Westergaard brother: he had an air of uncertainty and doubt that enveloped him instead of confidence and wisdom to lead. In fact, if Elsa were to be completely honest, she wouldn't be surprised if King Pieter was a "push-over" as Queen Rapunzel had mentioned during the visit to Corona.

"Their deaths were hard on everyone," King Pieter said, twisting and rolling a corner of his napkin between his fingers, eyes distant. "They were ill for months, and they just… never got better. It hurt all of us to see them like that, but years later, I'm glad to see that most of my siblings have been able to find their places in the world through that event."

Elsa wondered at the Southern Isles' monarch, mainly at how…  _relatively_  normal he was compared to the rest of the Westergaards, Hans included. There weren't any snide remarks coming from him, nor any hints of an ulterior motive, nor any discrepancies in his temperament that belied untrustworthiness. He seemed safe, transparent. Everything the rest of his family was not. What one saw in the king, well, it appeared that was what they got.

Okay, so he was a  _bit_  on the touchy side, since a harmless, teasing joke from Anna earlier seemed to offend him. At least he seemed able to keep his feelings in check.

Still, his transparency was baffling. Pieter was talking about  _the death of his parents_  with complete strangers. Even someone like  _Anna_  wouldn't talk about something as life-changing and tragic as that with Kristoff until after their third month into their engagement. At least the king didn't seem too bothered by sharing, nor answering whatever questions anyone had.

Ah, the word she was looking for to describe the king was "insecure." Despite being open, it was as if he was making himself vulnerable and wasn't aware of it.

"Is it true that you don't want to marry?" Anna asked.

"That is correct," Pieter affirmed. "I believe that there should be love in a marriage. I wouldn't want to put anyone through the torture of being married to someone that wouldn't be able to love them back, at least not in the way they deserve."

"So you  _really_  don't fall in love with anyone?"

"I'm guessing Hans told you all this." Pieter grinned in amusement. It faltered slightly, but considering the subject of the conversation, Elsa didn't look into it too deeply. He was probably trying to save face. "I'm also assuming he told you of my horse riding accident."

"Yeah… uh…"

"Hey, tell 'em what happened," one of the twins spoke, waving his fork around energetically. "Pieter here can really tell a tale when he wants to, but for some reason he always gets tight-lipped about the accident."

"Ib, it's  _King_ Pieter, remember?" the other twin cut in, elbowing his lookalike.

"Does it look like I  _care,_ Ian?"

"Behave yourselves, you disrespectful louts," Magnus threatened. "I'm sure you'll care about how Queen Elsa feels about the both of you when she tosses you out of her kingdom to fend for yourselves. And you forget about our eldest brother's sensitivities."

"Well, speaking of sensitivities, where is Rasmus? Or the latter portion of the terrible trio, Elias and Aleksander? They're missing out on all the food."

"Missing out on a meal should be the least of your worries," Rasmus stated monotonously as he glided his way to an empty chair around the dining table after his lackluster entrance into the room. "Elias stole my dagger, and Aleksander is trying to make nice with the princess' beau, with what seemed to be food for Hans."

Anna coughed on a bite of food she was in the middle of chewing as Elsa turned her head to Rasmus in a start. Magnus straightened in his seat in alarm.

"Kristoff's going to  _Hans?!_ " Anna sputtered after gulping down the obstructing morsel properly.

"Elias has a weapon, and you're not  _worried?_ " Magnus fretted simultaneously, his outburst overlapping with the princess'.

Rasmus shrugged and laid his napkin on his lap. He picked up his glass of water and sipped it nonchalantly.

_Crack!_

All heads turned searching around the room, wondering where the loud noise was coming from. Elsa pushed herself away from the table and out of her seat when it came again.

"Keep going! Move!" came the hurried, muffled shouts from Kristoff outside the dining room door.

"For the love of God, just keep going Aleksander!" commanded another voice, peeved. "If you want to soak your breeches, do it in here!"

The doors opened, and in spilled Kristoff and Prince Aleksander supporting a limping Prince Elias, an arm clearly broken in several places. Kristoff threw the door shut behind them.

"Oh my goodness! What happened!?" Anna shrilled, rushing to their aid. The seated brothers followed suit and took the wounded Elias aside to assess his well-being.

"This is the dining room, Elias! We've led them  _here_ , of all places. Now we're  _all_ going to die!" Aleksander wailed, body convulsing in terror. He dropped to his knees and covered his eyes with clasped hands, lips moving frantically in a desperate prayer.

"Enough of that, you nitwit," Elias scolded, kicking Aleksander over from his position on the floor. "They're not after  _you._ "

"What is the meaning of this?  _They?_ What are you talking about?" Elsa demanded, her voice turning up a few pitches in fear.

"It's Hans, he's gone mad!" Kristoff answered, eyes widened in alarm. "The pixies are here too. I don't know what happened—"

The door to the dining room shattered open, splinters of wood flying around the room and spraying onto its inhabitants.

"Hans? O-oh my..." Elsa gaped, stumbling back when she saw the horrific state that the thirteenth prince was in. Anna was a lot less verbal, but much more vocal than her sister in the high-pitched, shrill scream of terror at seeing him.

There was a dark aura that pulsed in wisps around Hans' form, obscuring the hallway behind him. His attire was tattered and torn, revealing large gashes in his skin that seeped blood into the fabric and dripped onto the floor at his feet. His eyes were wild, the shocking green of his irises completely washed out his pupils as they swept across the room and landed on Elias, Hans' control over his own body obviously absent. In his hands was the scythe.

His hand, oh God, his hand...

Elsa gagged, acrid bile rising in her throat when she saw the mangled mess of severed tendon, muscle, and veins that hung from the gaping puncture wound in his hand, the white of bone peeking through the injury.

If there was ever an image that Elsa might have imagined how Death would come knocking on their door, Hans embodied it at that moment. Gone was the man that caused her heart to flutter wildly as they danced, a moment they shared not too long ago.

Was Hans still in there, somewhere? Was this the catastrophe the trolls had warned them about?

"There he is!" a tiny, shrill voice rang through the air. "Get him!"

Hans charged at the brothers surrounding Elias, the sickle blade of the scythe flashing through the air.

Before it could tear into any of them, Prince Magnus drew his sword and deflected the scythe. Another riposte from the saber-wielder and the harvesting tool was knocked out of Hans' hands.

"Ooh, a swordsman!" another tiny voice sounded. In a flash of magical light, a group of pixies manifested themselves before the people in the dining room. One of them moved her hands, causing Hans to emulate her same movements as she chucked, "Go get 'im, Hans!"

The scythe lifted itself off the floor and was once again wrapped in the prince's hands. His emotionless face grimaced in pain at having to summon the scythe.

So Hans  _was_  still in there somewhere, and they were using him as their puppet!

The pixies might have taken his destiny and messed with it for their own nefarious reasons, but she was  _not_  going to let them take his own free will like that, not when they were so clearly in her sights.

Anger flurried within Elsa, fueling the blasts of magical ice that flew from her fingertips to fly with precision. The pixies darted out of the way, save for one who grunted at the impact and fell to the ground in a frozen wad. The ice shattered as it impacted the floor, the pixie within shattering along with it.

She could… She was able to kill them? Weren't they supposed to be immortal?

"It's the Snow Queen!" a pixie cried.

"Let's see her try that one with our puppet here," another taunted. "See how she likes having people  _she_  cares about shattering into pieces."

Hans swung the scythe in Elsa's direction, but its blade got embedded in a thick wall of ice.

"You idiots, focus on our purpose here!" a male pixie scolded, the only one in the group it seemed. "I hate being in the mortal realm for  _any_  amount of time. Unless you want to end up like Briryn over there, I suggest we just kill the homicidal maniac and go!"

The male pixie waved his hands and yanked, causing Hans to do the same to the scythe and freed it from the ice.

"It's the king! The king is here!" a pixie squealed in fear, pointing to King Pieter.

"Stop this madness! You must rectify this immediately!" the king commanded the pixies, though the confidence in his voice was lacking.

"We only mean to stop this one from killing the harvester," one pixie explained nervously, finger shuddering as she pointed to a supine Elias. "We do not intend to interfere with our magic, which is why we are using your brother's instead."

"Fix this, and get out!"

In a flash of light, the terrorizing group of pixies disappeared and Hans crumpled to the ground, coughing and trembling in weakness. Elsa rushed to his side, assessing the extent of his injuries, witnessing them healing rapidly before her eyes. A glance at the torn-up hand indicated that the same phenomenon was happening. She cupped his face in both hands, checking his eyes to see that they were back to normal.

Hans pushed her away, groaning in pain, and growled in an accusatory tone towards Elias, "You tried to kill me!"

"So?" Elias bit defiantly.

"I told you I didn't want this to happen!"

"You still don't scare me. Come on, do the same to me as you did to him!"

"Elias?" King Pieter asked with a shocked and hurt crack in his voice. "Why?"

"Why? You  _know_  why! He killed Klaus, and all of you are just going to let him get away with it! You above anyone else should know—"

The audible  _smack_  of the king backhanding the eleventh prince pierced through the air, silencing the prince's outburst. Everyone in the room stilled at the display. Even Elias' jaw slackened in surprise as he lifted his good arm to touch a hand to the reddening flesh of his cheek.

###

When the world went dark, Hans wasn't aware of what was going on, except that he felt his body was moving without his own provocation and that he could still hear what was going on. He knew he was powerless to stop whatever was happening around him to Kristoff, Aleksander, and Elias. He knew that the pixies were pulling whatever invisible strings he possessed for them to control whatever was happening to his body. He knew what was going on in the dining hall.

But he didn't focus on the repercussions or the aftermath of his tearing through the castle when the pixies left. His mind couldn't believe what he had just witnessed with his own eyes.

Pieter hit Elias.  _Pieter_  hit Elias.

Hans gaped at his eldest brother, blindsided at the act of corporal punishment that he had never even  _knew_  that Pieter was capable of. The brothers knew this was a big deal, since Hans had never seen the twins with such serious expressions before, never even seen  _Rasmus_  close to tears in such a long time, not since the death of their parents.

Rasmus hadn't shed a tear during their parents' funeral.

Elias finally composed himself, his face twisted in anger and… betrayal?

"You  _know_  you won't get away with it, Pieter," he accused.

"Don't bring up Klaus again, do you understand?" Pieter ordered, ignoring the accusation as tears streaked down his cheeks. "Not to me."

Oh. Hans never knew how Pieter took the news of Klaus' death. It seemed that the eldest hadn't moved past it quite yet. He wondered how Pieter felt about the truth behind it, knowing that Hans was responsible for his death. Did his brother forgive him?

Guards marched into the dining hall, likely hearing the commotion, but Hans wasn't paying attention when Elsa ordered for Elias to be sent to the dungeons with a doctor to tend to his wounds, or when he was carried by a few of his siblings to be propped up in a chair.

There was something bothering him about Pieter.

Why were the pixies afraid of him? What did meek, sensitive, innocent Pieter do for them to fear him?

"King Pieter," Hans said, astounding himself in his ability to remember formality in a stupor. "Why are pixies afraid of you?"

"I… don't really know," Pieter said, eyebrows scrunched together in bewilderment. "This is a good thing, perhaps?"

"The way I see it, yeah," Anna said, handing Hans a borrowed glove from a guard to replace the one that was likely back in his quarters. He took it gratefully and slipped it on without hesitation.

"If only you were there before I made that deal with the pixie," Hans sighed. "Maybe all of this could have been avoided."

"But you liked keeping secrets from everyone," Pieter said. "And secrets often lead to worse things down the road." The king regarded him at arm's length, eyes still brimming with sadness. "It cost us dearly, most of all you, but to see you continue to pull through is encouraging. I'm glad to have put you under Arendelle's custody."

"The guards…" Hans murmured, remembering the lack of security patrolling the area around his room. "Elias said there weren't any guards around my room when he attacked, and there weren't any around when I called for help."

"That shouldn't have happened," Elsa said.

"And there was the fact that the convict that was supposed to be executed earlier died in his cell without anyone noticing what happened."

There was something disconcerting going on. Something huge, and it felt like he was completely out of the loop.

"What are you trying to say, Hans?" Kristoff asked.

"I think… perhaps all of this is related? I didn't bring this up earlier since I thought he was just crazy, but the convict was convinced that he knew information that he believed to be important. He kept going on about this 'Order' and needing to get back to them—"

Elsa and Anna gasped, exchanging grim glances with one another.

"Prince Hans…" Elsa breathed, pulling over a chair and settling herself onto it slowly. "What I am about to tell you,  _all_  of you, must not leave this room. These events prove that we don't know who is involved, and the fewer people that know, the better it is to keep track.

"The Council and I, Anna included, were told of a group of assassins trying to attack individuals in high positions of power, those among royalty and nobility predominantly. Their attacks have been increasing, and in hearing about your brothers' endangerment, I suspected that this group is involved. They call themselves the Order of the Lynx—"

Upon hearing this, King Pieter flinched and stiffened in discomfort.

"You've heard of them?" Elsa asked the king.

"They were involved in my horse riding accident," Pieter admitted.

"Oh, so  _now_  you're coming clean about it," Jakob jabbed. "For all your transparency to everything, that's the only thing about you that you've kept under frosted glass."

"That's because it's best to  _actually_  keep this one secret, little brother. A member of the Order of the Lynx approached me years ago, trying to have me join their cause. When I refused, they warned that they had an agent within our own family and that if I let their existence become known, I'd lose more than the horse that threw me off as they slaughtered it as I was riding it, and the subsequent inability to have children after that event."

"So…  _Elias_  is the one they were talking about?" Aleksander gasped. "That can't be! He's no assassin. He can't even tell a lie right!"

"Are you sure about that? He tried to kill me, after all," Hans pointed out, the fact that one of his brothers wanted him dead angered him.

"Hans, listen.  _It can't be Elias._  He's irrational and easily influenced. He can't plan something like this."

"Oh? And what about you Aleksander? You sound like you know too much!" Jakob accused.

"Shut up, Ib. Stop trying to start a fire where there's no kindling. You knew my whereabouts this whole day, and you know that I hate violence, not to mention that  _I lost a few fingers_  when they attacked us last time!"

"Then what about Magnus? Don't you think it's incredibly suspicious how he's always paranoid?"

"You dare insinuate that I would double-cross my family, Jakob?" Magnus barked, offended. "You were so quick to point fingers, perhaps it is  _you_  we need to watch out for!"

"Enough, all of you! This is why I've kept this information to myself. There's no way we could tell who's the traitor or not," Pieter said, pointing a scolding finger at each arguing brother in turn. "I didn't want us all to turn on one another when I've tried so hard to keep our family from falling apart all these years."

The commanding atmosphere that was put forth from Pieter was a side of the king that was rarely seen. When it happened, it was always short-lived, since he never had enough nerve to continue. Pieter trembled in agitation and covered his face with his hands.

"Please continue, Queen Elsa," the king said after composing himself.

Elsa blinked a few times in surprise and obliged, "As it continues to be apparent, even with your confession King Pieter, we know nothing about the Order. If things continue as they are, there isn't a leader in all the sovereign nations that is safe. Which is why a summit must be held so that we can all address this growing concern in unison."

"You mean… all the leaders in one place? Preparing for something like that could take years."

"It's best a few years later than never, King Pieter."

Pieter pulled his mouth into a thin line, contemplative. "I, King Pieter of the Southern Isles, will gladly join you, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, in this endeavor."

The two monarchs reached out and shook hands in agreement. Pieter drew his hand back suddenly, gasping and holding it close to his chest. Elsa flinched and did the same, grimacing in discomfort.

"Ah! That smarts," Pieter hissed, shaking out his hand. "My apologies, Queen Elsa, if I offended you."

"It's alright, I think I am still somewhat shaken from earlier. My magic feels a bit imbalanced right now," Elsa murmured, brushing aside the awkward handshake.

"Are we honestly not going to discuss what in all the heavens happened to the door? Or even with Hans, for that matter," Anna said. "That cloud…  _thing_ was terrifying."

"Don't look at me, all I could do was hear what was going on," Hans deflected when the room's inhabitants turned to him for an explanation. "And from my point of view, it sounded... not very good. Did I…?"

"You didn't kill anyone, if that's something you were worried about," Kristoff offered. "You obliterated the room to your door, too, though it's hard to tell if it the pixies were responsible for that. Elias was tossed out like he was nothing, which explains his current injuries."

"Barriers… would be broken…" Hans remembered the land's warning. "Who knew that would be literal?"

"Can you do that again?" Christian asked, a little too eagerly. He cringed when the others gave him irritated looks. "I just want to be sure the pixies were the ones responsible for that, not Hans, okay? Sheesh."

"No, I will  _not_  try to do that again, Ian. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, what about that scythe thing you could do? Anders mentioned it a while back. Maybe it's related?"

"I don't want to even  _think_  about doing that. To be quite frank, all of this is just making me a lot more anxious being around all of you, so if you'll excuse me, I need to be alone right now." Hans stood from his seat, clenching his hands into fists to hide their tremors as he left the dining room without another word.

"Prince Hans," Elsa called out, chasing him as he made his way down the hallway. Hans politely halted his steps to allow the queen to catch up.

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but I must refrain from being around you for now. Especially…" he trailed off, not wanting to admit the new problem that had arisen after their dance in the sitting room. He swallowed the sudden urge to break down into grief, keeping himself composed as he continued, "Especially since it's become apparent that the land does not enjoy the fact that my… 'simple infatuation' with you has developed into something… something more. It seems that my heart doesn't belong to me, and that I'm not allowed to give it to anyone else."

The crestfallen look that Elsa gave him at his admission forced him to look away. It meant that, yes, Elsa  _did_  feel the same way, despite everything. All the more reason why it was more heart-rending than he wanted it to be.

All of this… it was just  _unfair._ It would have been okay if he was the only one to be affected… but to know that Elsa would hurt just as much?

Hans would rather die than to see her heartbroken.

"I… understand," the queen whispered, voice breaking. Hans nodded slowly and turned away to leave, to escape before he had to face the harsh reality even longer, but Elsa stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't let this defeat you. Don't give in to whatever ideas this might give you."

He stilled, eyes boring into hers when it felt like she was reading his thoughts.

"I know you want to be alone," Elsa continued, her voice still low. "And I'll give you your privacy for now, but I expect to see you tomorrow." Then she added with an even smaller voice, fearful, barely audible, " _Alive._ "

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I promised you a performance at your sister's wedding," Hans said, falling back into his long-unused mask of 'Prince Charming' and hating how unnatural it felt. "I can't do that if I'm dead."

With that, Hans pulled away from Elsa, leaving her alone in the middle of the hallway.

He would ensure that it would be the greatest performance he'd ever played. Not just to elevate his reputation and stance in Arendelle, but to make it his final act in a chapter of his life that was too good to be true, to signify that his days of bliss were over.

For the good of everyone –  _especially_  for Queen Elsa – Prince Hans' frozen heart needed to turn to stone.


	17. In Denial

Hans knew he would regret it later. He knew it was likely a terrible idea to visit Elias in his cell when he was still upset about the murder attempt. He knew that doing so behind everyone's back, sneaking around unseen in the dungeons in the middle of the night in a dance with guards whose rounds he mapped out and timed, risking everyone's misplaced trust in him should he get caught; what he was doing was clearly crossing the line of "things good people with sound judgment shouldn't do."

There wasn't any going back on his ill-conceived plan once it was in action, especially since he had to knock out Sir George as a part of that plan. Had he been residing in his living arrangements in his room in the servant's wing, knocking out the guard wouldn't have been a factor. But taking into account the fact that his room still was a mess of blood and splintered wood, and the fact that Queen Elsa was intensely and needlessly worried for his well-being, he had to temporarily inhabit another chamber with a guard detail. It was just poor luck that George was the one to be on shift that night.

Hans didn't want to think too much about feeling guilty at the moment, since he was mad, and hurt, and all-around miserable about having to deny his feelings for Elsa and having to choose his curse over her.

From what the others told him, Elias knew something and was reluctant to give the information to them. They were going to try again after Anna's and Kristoff's wedding day – was it really going to be tomorrow? – but he was going a bit stir-crazy with being unable to commune with the queen as often as his lovesick heart begged him to.

So yes, while it wasn't a practical decision to take it upon himself to… "interrogate" Elias in Hans' current state – angry, heartbroken, stressed, the land constantly chanting about sacrifice in his head – but he needed to feel less useless and maybe confronting his older brother would help. After all, he was Prince Hans, the man who was able to fool an entire kingdom for his own gain until it was almost too late for them. Getting information from Elias shouldn't be so hard, right?

Well, it was either confront the eleventh-born, or practice his violin piece for the wedding. He'd done the latter zealously enough over the past few days that he was even having dreams about practicing the same tune over and over, which he grew tired of quite quickly. Also, the blisters he was forming from all the playing were growing rather painful. So, interrogate Elias it was.

He wasn't sure how he should've reacted when he discovered that Elias appeared to be waiting for him. Showing a brief look of surprise before squashing the expression into neutrality, but failing to keep his brief lack of composure hidden from Elias and giving him a reason to have a smug look, was probably not the appropriate way to go about it.

"Of course you'd be the one to get in here like I did," Elias said arrogantly. "Was it just as easy to walk in here when I killed that assassin?"

"So, you confess to murdering him," Hans observed.

"And you're also playing investigator. Why am I not surprised? You never did conform to the roles you were supposed to follow,  _executioner_."

It was surprisingly difficult to not let Elias' snide attitude to get to him, but it was doable as long as Hans didn't give in to the faint twitch in his fingers that suggested that they were better placed crushing around Elias' neck instead.

No, no. Where were these homicidal urges coming from? Hans had a lot more patience than that. Surely he wouldn't jump to violence as an answer so quickly.

"Why did you kill him?" Hans asked as inflectionless as possible, hiding the sudden turmoil he was facing within himself. "He was going to face his sentence."

"Killing you was the end goal, so I had to make a detour to ensure that man didn't get away from what he deserved just because his executioner was out of commission."

"You know fully well that wasn't going to happen. Anders helped out in establishing this program, remember?"

"One can't be too careful." Elias paused, scanning Hans with scrutiny. "I can see that trying to get a confession from me isn't what you're here for."

Hans took that as an invitation to be straightforward. "I want to know why you killed him and then tried to kill me, and not just the cursory explanations you've been giving everyone else."

"Oh, and I thought I was going to have to run circles trying to get information from  _you_. Anyway, I won't make any bit of sense unless I tell you a little story."

"Go on then, and don't go all poetic on me, the night can only go on for so long."

"You know me, I have a natural flair for the dramatic. Though, just to humor you, I will do my best to be as direct as I could be. Hmm, where to begin? Oh yes." Elias stretched his unbroken limbs (his bad arm was still immobilized in a sling) and ruminated with his head tilting towards the ceiling.

"Years ago," Elias said, starting his tale with a reminiscent tone, his eyes taking on an inappropriately cheerful gleam. "There was a young boy, almost too young to comprehend the world around him. He had many brothers, eleven at the time, and one more was just about to be born when he started having nightmares.

"The boy didn't know what they were until he was much older, about to grow past his adolescent years. They were visions of things to come, things that he thought was his duty to prevent. He saw terrible things, the greatest was one of a brother obtaining power that could devastate and destroy many kingdoms. And so, the boy made this his life's purpose: prepare for the worst of things to come and, if he could, avoid them altogether.

"And what do you know? The boy was wrong to think it was his destiny to stop these events from happening. In fact, it appeared that he had aided in the realization of his visions. One by one, he saw his nightmares become reality, and he was in denial thinking that there was still a chance to salvage the situation. He still thinks he can."

"This boy… You're talking about yourself?" Hans asked after Elias was finished.

"We'll aren't we being a bit slow tonight? Of course it's me!"

"You have visions?"

"That's the popular term for it, but they're not as flashy and…  _easy_  to understand as most like to believe. They're pretty open to interpretation, but I can at least see the people involved."

"And you never told anyone?"

"No. I thought it best to keep others from interfering with my oh-so-important duty to prevent tragedy from occurring. Oh, but you'll  _love_ this part of the story: I did tell someone. Klaus."

"Klaus…" And then a dreadful comprehension overcame Hans. "You knew I would kill him."

"Yes, and I told him, and so he thought it best to avoid you as he tried to come to terms with it."

Hans had to steady himself against a wall as the wave of understanding crashed into him without mercy.

Of course it was too incomprehensible for Klaus to ignore him like that out of nowhere. He was always in people's business, and for him to do an about-face with no explanation… Not to mention that it wouldn't be too out-there to convince those he had sway over, the younger Elias and Aleksander, to avoid Hans since he thought he would be dangerous. It hurt back then to not know, but it hurt even more now that it was too late to fix anything.

It all made terrible sense now.

It also explained Elias and his bizarre fixations growing up.

"You knew about the pixies," Hans said. "That's why you had Mother read those stories to us when I was little, and why you were obsessed with all those folk tales."

"Precisely."

"But… why didn't you tell me? Why did you have to be so indirect in doing all this?"

"Well, I never did claim I was the most  _capable_  person. I also suffer from bouts of vanity, so of course I wanted all the credit once I revealed my abilities and saved the day. I'm sure you know the feeling. It runs in the family, you know."

"Don't remind me."

"And is it so out of character for me to genuinely dislike you? Why would I say anything to you, after all? If this is who you would inevitably end up being, why waste any effort on maintaining any sort of relationship with you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it could have prevented this whole disaster in the first place?"

"True, but I've enjoyed the thought of having a nemesis to have to thwart. It's just like the stories of heroes, saving the day from an evil they've spent years trying to vanquish."

Was Hans seriously hearing this from his brother? Was Elias even aware of the delusions that were coming out of his mouth?

"I'm not your enemy, nor do I want to be. You couldn't possibly believe this nonsense, Elias."

"You tell me. After all, aren't you the one who could read people like a book? You must be out of practice, since you've come all the way here just to figure out my motives. However, if there's one constant about you, it's that you  _hate_  not knowing things since it will all blow up in your face afterward. And after that  _wonderful_  display in the dining hall, you continue to be ignorant to what you've been corrupted with."

Hans gave pause. He risked delving deeper by taking the tag of bait his brother tossed him. "You know something about my curse."

"Spent years trying to find information about it, so of course! You insult my intelligence and perseverance thinking otherwise. Now, where's that dagger Rasmus brought along with him?"

"Just get on with it, Elias."

The contented smirk that Elias gave him made him feel uneasy.

"That spell the pixies placed on your heart. It's not a curse, not like the one with you try to hide with those filthy mitts of yours. Think of it more like… a siphon."

"A siphon. That doesn't explain much."

"Tell me, Hans, have you ever considered  _where_  the souls you sacrificed end up?"

Hans hadn't really thought about it, and hearing Elias point out that folly made him feel selfish.

Elias continued, "One might think they'd go to heaven or hell or some form of purgatory or even ceasing to exist altogether, but no, those you've sacrificed have been fused with nature itself. It's all a concept where my mortal mind can't truly understand its intricacies, especially since magic never really made any sense. The siphon generally works in one direction; nature draws power from around you whenever you perform a sacrifice. From what I saw after trying to kill you? Well, apparently the spell wasn't perfect, so there's a leak in the siphon, and whatever that leak is spewing out, it's corrupting you."

Elias was insane, there was no way this was really happening.

But Hans knew there was some truth to what he was saying. It explained the dark cloud that followed him that the others described as something…  _evil._ If he's actually being corrupted, it would also explain the sudden desire to give in to more violent tendencies.

There was no possible way that Elias was some sort of  _seer._  There should have been something,  _anything_  that would've hinted at such a thing while he was growing up. No one was as good as Hans when it came to secrecy and deception.

Yet… it was only recently where Hans realized he had been wrong about his family. Could Hans simply have misread Elias the whole time?

"Where's the dagger? Let me finish what I started," Elias said. "The atrocities must end, Hans."

The thirteenth prince closed his eyes, trying to block out the rising frustration that threatened his level-headedness.

"If you knew this was going to happen, why didn't you just kill me years ago? Why now, when you know I can't let you do that?" Hans asked, turning his head away, not wanting to look Elias in the eyes.

A mistake to turn attention away from him.

With an impressive speed, considering Elias was still injured, Hans was slammed into the wall he was leaning against, an arm shoved against his windpipe. The two stared at each other, their genetic green gazes linking.

Elias was crying.

A sight made all the more disturbing since Elias continued to bore his stare into Hans. Seeing his brother in such a vulnerable state caused the latter to keep from trying to protect himself. Doing so felt like sacrilege.

But also… would trying to defend himself turn into something more deadly?

"I asked myself that question every day," Elias growled in a low voice. "Why? It shouldn't be so hard. After all, he's going to kill your favorite brother. After all, you knowthe darkness that will consume him one day, and somehow he will convince everyone to be  _okay_  with it. It should be easy, since I have every motivation I needed to kill you.

"And guess what? I've learned something about how life works. What you don't know can hurt you, and what you know won't save you. I didn't know what it was that kept me from taking a sword and gutting you all those years ago. I didn't know what it was that wanted me to see you become an honorable prince, to see you defy the legacy of Father that you've inherited in your blood.

"I was ignorant to the fact that… despite everything… you are my brother and I love you. It was a realization I had during Klaus' funeral. And once I realized this, I knew then that I couldn't let love get in the way again. I knew that, the next time I saw you, I shouldn't give up the opportunity."

"Yet I'm at your mercy again and you haven't killed me," Hans croaked, his throat still being crushed. Elias shut his eyes and released Hans, shoving away from him. Hans rubbed at his sore neck.

"As I said: what you don't know can hurt you, and what you know won't save you. I know a lot of things, more than most, but I'm not omniscient. I have no idea what will happen after I kill you, but I do know that whatever power that's been corrupting you, I'm powerless to stop it."

Elias collapsed onto the cot in the cell, heaving a long sigh.

"All of this work, all my efforts, and it'll end like this," Elias said to himself. "Even though I saw this coming, I'm still surprised. Love is something no one can really plan on happening." He turned to face Hans, offering a sad smile. "Looks like you're going to be the one to finish all this. My end is near."

"I'm not going to kill you, Elias," Hans said, not quite understanding the bizarre statement.

"No, but I'm still offering the same: let me kill you, and we'll be done with this."

"Only a madman would agree to that, and you're fully aware of this."

"Really? Oh, at some point you'll be  _begging_  for an offer like this to cross your path again. After all, you want to avoid hurting those you love, correct?"

Hans' blood chilled in his veins at the possibility. "We're learning to manage."

"Are you now? Tell me, what are you going to do? Continue with all the executions, knowing that each death brings you closer and closer to losing your humanity?"

"You don't know that," Hans grit out petulantly.

"No,  _you_  don't know that. I, on the other hand, saw the signs as soon as that room went dark and you flung me through an exploding door. You just don't want to believe it. And what's next? You're going to start hearing nature speaking louder in your mind? Attract its attention once you've accumulated enough power?"

Hans blanched since Elias had described  _exactly_  the new developments in his curse, the very things he hadn't had a chance to express to the others yet. How did Elias know?

Could Elias really be telling the truth?

"It's already happened, hasn't it?" Elias asked. He burst into mocking laughter and seethed sarcastically, "Oh, joy! It looks like it's only going to get worse from here on out! Watch out, everyone, Hans is going to go on a killing spree soon, and no one is going to be able to stop it!"

"I won't let it get to that point, Elias.  _Never._ "

"Ah-ah, never say never, dearest baby brother. After all, I told myself I'd never let you get to this point, and here we are."

It was a mistake to speak to Elias. His brother had lost his mind. Nothing he said should be taken seriously.

But… why did Hans feel like Elias was right?

Hans buried the urge to throttle him and decided it was time to leave. He was about to reach for the cell door's handle when Elias spoke up once again, apparently not finished with tormenting the youngest brother with his malevolent words.

"If you're not going to let me kill you, then at least be open to the idea of doing it yourself," Elias deadpanned. "And if you do, make sure you can't miraculously recover from it either."

Hans hesitated on opening the door, took a deep breath with closed eyes, and exited the cell.

Morning would come, and hopefully with all the festivities of the wedding, he would be able to put his conversation with Elias behind him. While he didn't get the closure that he was seeking from him, at the very least he could somewhat piece together a resolution for the wrongs that Klaus enacted.

Somewhat.

He'd let Elias get to him, get into his head, and now Hans was doubting the effectiveness of what he was doing in Arendelle..

He killed a lot of dangerous, evil people, done under the instruction of the law. But there were four innocents: Klaus and the Coronians. What he had done was doom their souls to a fate that shouldn't be theirs, shouldn't have been an outcome that he had the power to decide over.

_Let it go,_  thought the faint, almost-forgotten side of Hans, the side that reminded him so much of Queen Elsa. It saved him from falling further into the downward spiral of that line of thinking.  _What's done is done. You can't change the past._

Once Sir George the guard woke up from his...  _forced_  slumber, Hans knew he was going to have an earful come morning.

###

"What were you thinking?" Kristoff asked, exasperated, running a hand down his face.

Sitting before Kristoff was a petulant George, occasionally prodding the sizable knot forming on the side of his head, and a disturbed, yet surprisingly apologetic Prince Hans.

Kristoff did not sign up for this.

Or anything, really.

At the very least, he knew he was the man to deal with the peculiar events that happened in the morning. Everything seemed alright and routine when everyone went to sit at the table for breakfast. Hans' brothers were even behaving and busying themselves with preparing for the festivities later in the day. Of course, when all is calm, all it took was the misfortunate Prince Hans to ruin it. Not the prince's fault, really, but it definitely was a recurring theme.

At least Hans was going to be open to confessing his wrong-doings the other night instead of keeping it hidden. It showed that he was developing a better sense of morality and responsibility. It was also a surprise, since no one had really seen him much outside of the room he was temporarily assigned, or even during his free time, which Hans used to spend with the queen.

What even happened to that? Those two seemed like they were doing well, especially since it seemed that Elsa finally found another person to talk politics and history and other such things. Something certainly happened on that front.

"To be honest, thinking didn't have a large part in it," Hans replied, avoiding eye contact.

Hans had an interesting and detailed retelling of last night's events, even rehashing the route he took to avoid all the guards so that it wouldn't be exploited again. One thing Kristoff wasn't able to pull from him was what Elias said after the confession. But then again, Hans said that whatever Elias said afterward was just nonsense and that nothing useful was given to him, not to mention that it would cut into their already tight schedule for the day.

It wasn't a satisfactory explanation, but he received a promise to get into it more once things weren't so time-constraining at the very least.

"Uh huh, and remind me again why you didn't consider how everyone else would feel about it, especially me, your  _parole officer,_  whose duties are centered around making sure you behave yourself?"

"I told you, I  _did_  think about my actions, and I  _know_ they were bad. I just… hated feeling so helpless, so I took action. Rash, to be sure."

"Then why didn't you just tell me? I thought we're friends. That's what friends  _do_ , you know. Talk things out when things are bothering them, give advice on things, just be there for them."

Hans shrunk into himself. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry." He turned to the guard. "And I'm sorry for knocking you out in your sleep."

"Just be glad I woke up from it. However, I forgive you," the guard grunted, hissing after another self-inspection of the swelling lump on his skull. "I can't stay mad at you for long, since you remind me of my son."

"Isn't he twelve?"

"Your point being?" A sly grin eased its way on the guard's face.

Kristoff expected Hans to be indignant in response, but instead, the prince merely pursed his lips and looked shamefully away.

Okay, something was definitely up with Hans. Again.

_Really_  not something he wanted to deal with on his wedding day, especially since everyone was running a tight schedule. Hopefully, whatever was eating at the prince could wait until the end of the day.

A glance at the grandfather clock, and he knew that he should start dressing for the ceremony.

"Oh, there's the man I've been looking for!" rumbled a man's voice joyfully from behind him. Kristoff turned to see its owner, and was pleasantly surprised to see it was King Eugene of Corona. "Turns out having all the royal limelight didn't scare you off after all."

"I have to thank you for that," Kristoff said, bowing in greeting.

"Hey now, no need for that. We're not in public." Eugene looked past Kristoff's shoulder and flinched. The brunet former thief pulled the blond ice harvester aside and asked in a hushed tone, "What's… why is, uh,  _he_  loose?"

"Hans? He's fine. It's a long story."

"So it's just  _Hans_  now, no 'prince' title or anything? Geez, a few months, and I'm seriously out of the loop. So what, indentured servitude? Threat of death?"

"Rehabilitation, actually."

"And it's  _working_? Wow, you Arendellians need to share some of that information me and my wife."

"I'm sorry, Mister Bjorgman, but… who's this?" the guard asked, raising an inquisitive brow.

"This," Kristoff said, gesturing to the king, "Is King Eugene of Corona."

The guard's mouth fell agape as he fell into a bow, Hans following suit but with an obvious tension in his frame.

George sputtered, "My apologies, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to insult your presence for not greeting you properly, and for interrupting what appeared to be a private conversation. I wanted to be sure—"

"Whoa there, I'm not that kind of king," Eugene said, hands in a placating manner. "No need for an explanation, uh…"

"Sir George," Kristoff offered.

"Sir George," Eugene finished. Then, to Kristoff, "Wait, you still knight people here in Arendelle?"

"Don't you over in Corona?"

"Yes, but I haven't really given it much thought."

Out of the corner of Kristoff's eye, Hans shifted on his feet, trying to indiscreetly look at the clock so as to no appear impatient or rude. Kristoff looked at the clock again, and realized that Hans needed to be somewhere else, too.

"Uh… don't you need to be with the queen about now?" Kristoff said, offering the prince an out. Hans nodded slowly and took his exit, the guard following closely.

"Alright, now give it to me straight: how in the world is he allowed anywhere near the queen? I know from all the letters that Queen Elsa sent our way told us that his curse isn't able to be lifted, so surely, don't you think that's… I dunno… a  _bad idea_?" the king expressed, hands waving around emphatically.

"The idea's working so far."

"And you feel like he's rehabilitated."

"Yes."

"Then care to explain the guard that apparently needs to follow him around?"

"It's more to have everyone else tolerate his presence. He doesn't really need anyone watching him."

Well, after Hans' stunt in knocking said guard unconscious, Kristoff might have to amend that statement. Though, he'll hold off on making that call as soon as he had a proper discussion with him later.

Eugene didn't really need to know about that, however.

"Why are you here?" Kristoff asked.

"Rapunzel sent me. She thought I could help you out before the ceremony. Ya know, kinda because I've been in the same boat. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna agreed, so here I am."

"I really appreciate the sentiment."

"Oh, and Anna told me to tell you she said hi, and to try not to freak out too much since your family is here."

"My family?" An excited grin flashed on Kristoff's face. "They're actually coming?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"They've never left the forest before. Wow, this is amazing news!"

"Forest…? Oh, right. They're trolls, got to remember that. Yeah, uh… try not to overdo it with the enthusiasm. A lot of the snooty folk from the nearby kingdoms are here, they might take that excitement the wrong way, kinda like you have more…  _malicious_  intentions for marrying a princess."

"Intentions" being that Kristoff wanted to marry for power, not love, which was ludicrous. But he could see how it could be misinterpreted that way. Kinda. Okay, rein it in, got it.

Oh geez, Kristoff was actually getting  _married_  today.

###

"You know you don't have to be miserable for my sake, Your Majesty," Hans said gently after he helped usher another set of wedding guests to their accommodations after the queen gave them a proper welcome. "It's your sister's wedding day, you should be overjoyed."

Elsa knew she should. Anna was finally getting the proper happiness she deserved after experiencing disappointment for a majority of her childhood. Her dearest sister was beginning a new, beautiful chapter of her life; shouldn't Elsa be more jovial?

Yes, and the joy was there, but after realizing her feelings for Hans, and just the thought that they were denied on terms neither party could really accept dampened her celebratory spirit. But was she being that obvious? Was she even allowed to be upset about this? It was a brief realization, after all, but why did it feel like she lost a lot more than a fleeting romantic fancy?

"Perhaps, but I can't when there's a person I care about who's hurting more than me," Elsa sighed.

Her answer didn't make Hans any more happier. In fact, his already downcast expression turned even more sullen. It seemed that he noticed that she was observing him, since he buried whatever emotion he was showing under a neutral mask.

One step forward, three steps back. Elsa hated the land for forcing to Hans revert back into his penchant for secrecy.

"It's a celebration, Your Majesty. At least be open to the opportunity to enjoy yourself, should one arise," came his response. "I won't judge."

The smile he flashed her made her heart skip a beat at how genuine it looked, like it was enough to breathe life into their dismal situations. But one glance at his eyes, and she saw that its brightness didn't reach them. He hastily turned away, letting in another set of guests to greet her, as if to keep her from seeking whatever truth they were trying to reveal without his consent.

But she saw.

He was losing hope. For what – or even  _in_  what – she wasn't sure.

He wasn't like this yesterday when she went to check on him, so it must have been something Elias told him during the night. Hans kept denying that his brother said anything useful for anyone to glean any information from. While she could accept this explanation as truth, it didn't explain why he was so out of sorts.

"Promise me you'll do the same," Elsa said carefully, deciding not to press the matter. "If you find yourself enjoying the celebration, don't deny that from yourself."


	18. And It All Falls Apart

"I present to you His Excellency, Count Mikelo Ludoviko of Gavallande, attending as a representative of his kingdom," Kai announced. Elsa tilted her head politely towards the man as he bowed to her graciously.

"Handsome fellow, isn't he? A jawline like that can put a man like me to shame," Sir George teasingly remarked beside Hans, who resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the statement, since it was almost an endless stream of jabs from the guard whenever a "possible suitor for the queen" entered through the doors. The guard most likely didn't intend for it to be anything more than jovial teasing, since he wasn't aware of what transpired between Hans and Queen Elsa.

Hans  _could_  ask the guard to cut it out, but at the same time he felt guilty about rendering the guard unconscious. A bit of hurt pride could be considered penance for his actions last night.

However, Hans couldn't help but give the count a more scrutinizing inspection, since he begrudgingly had to agree with George. The queen also seemed to agree as well, what with the sudden blush of her cheeks when the man complimented her graciousness and beauty. The shyness and lack of composure she unexpectedly started to display was… infuriating? Embarrassing? Confusing?

Hans hadn't felt like this with the other guests and visitors that said a similar speech to address Elsa. Now why was this time different?

Suave, good with words, wooing royals upon meeting for the first time – now  _where_  had he seen something like that before?

_Stop that, not everyone who shows interest in the queen would have motives like you did,_ he berated within himself.

It seemed Elsa had similar thoughts running through her mind since she exchanged a brief, inquisitive glance towards the prince, likely asking to see what he thought of Count Mikelo. Hans shrugged, not really quite sure what to make of the nobleman.

The count took notice of this exchange and appeared to crumble slightly in intimidation and coughed into his hand to hide his discomfort.

Okay, so "His Excellency Ludoviko" wasn't  _excellent_  at exuding confidence. Noted. Therefore the man was probably harmless. Though the strange glint in the man's eyes when he noticed Hans' presence didn't sit well with him. It wasn't an  _uneasy_  sort of unsettling, since there wasn't any malice or anger, or fear on Mikelo's gaze.

Was that… admiration?

What in the world?

Alright, that man had some issues. Hans didn't know what, but all the mixed readings he got from how the count carried himself was… perplexing. Even so, Hans was probably paranoid and on-edge considering all that Elias said to him in the dungeon. He seriously was starting to doubt his ability to gauge others and was seeing things that likely wasn't there.

"If I may inquire, Your Majesty, the name of this man beside you?" Count Mikelo asked.

"I am none of your concern," Hans grumbled, "and if you were to know, I'll likely seek you out to kill you later."

Elsa cleared her throat.

"I was only joking, Your Majesty," Hans said, not quite aware of what came over him to say something like that. Was Hans honestly feeling jealous? Whatever romantic feelings he had for Elsa wasn't meant to be, so why did he get so possessive all of a sudden?

Elsa quirked a surprised brow at Hans, then turned to the visiting nobleman, "I do hope you enjoy the celebration later today."

###

The wedding ceremony took place when the sun was highest in the sky, the light filtering bright into the cathedral, shrouding the bride and groom with a colorful glow from the stained-glass windows; it was as if the sun itself was approving the marriage.

From his own dark corner at the back of the cathedral, Prince Hans tugged at the hood of his cloak in worry that the congregated masses would recognize him. The cloak was a part of the "disguise" that he would later be performing in, but he couldn't help but feel like he was sticking out since no one would wear a cloak and a scarf around oneself in the middle of summer like this. Of course, the material of the cloth was created by Elsa, so it wasn't at all stifling even when the scarf masked his mouth and nose.

He wanted to suggest a disguise a lot more subtle, but seeing how pleased the queen was with her creation and how Anna approved that it fit well with the piece he would perform later (since it was a piece usually performed during the festivals in winter), he didn't argue. At the very least, it wasn't as flashy or as eye-catching as it could have been. It was only a simple, blue-white winter cloak. Not a practical color to wear during the winter, since it would hide the wearer and make them more likely to be run over by a sled; but in its current context, it was appropriate.

He turned his attention back to the front of the congregation, the officiant continuing his practiced phrases to the bride and groom that Hans had heard countless times in the past.

In his lifetime, Hans had witnessed many weddings. His brothers' weddings, distant family members' weddings, the weddings of other monarchs; none of them had ever impacted him as emotionally as Princess Anna's and Kristoff's wedding. Never had he felt a swell of joy at seeing the union of two people in holy matrimony.

Theirs was different, somehow. Maybe it was because he cared for them more? It certainly was possible, since he was pretty heartless before. Perhaps it was due to having a hand in preparing for the celebration? Well, it certainly played a part.

Or maybe it was the strange sense of guilt at being reminded that, had things gone the way he originally intended, this wedding between Anna and Kristoff wouldn't have happened in the first place. Instead, it would have been him having this celebration, but unlike the genuine love the couple had for each other, Hans would only offer Princess Anna a farce. A mockery of her happiness.

It was… nice, actually, to see that he wasn't able to ruin their future. Despite everything, it seemed like Fate was just going to have its way regardless of the people wanting otherwise.

Hans' mood soured a bit, since that could be taken in the same way that Elias had done.

He still wasn't sure if his brother was even telling the truth. Because if he was…

" _If you're not going to let me kill you, then at least be open to the idea of doing it yourself."_

No, Elias was wrong. His words were only meant to cause harm. It wasn't advice.

Was it?

He scanned the backs of the heads of the congregation, his eyes falling on the distinguishable auburn locks on a row of attendees: his brothers. They didn't notice his attendance, which was good, because they'd more likely pester him about what Elias had told him in the dungeon. He wasn't sure if he was ready, since he himself wasn't quite sure how to filter through their discussion. It was one thing to talk to Elsa, Kristoff, or even Anna about the events; his brothers were a different entity entirely. Elias was their brother, too.

"So, you're going to be in the talent show later?" came a voice from beside him. Hans started at the sound and flinched away.

It was King Eugene, and for some unknown reason he decided it was a good idea to approach Hans.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans replied, quirking an eyebrow in suspicion.

"You know, Prince Hans, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're nearly unrecognizable in that outfit. Except, Kristoff ruined the surprise for me, so yeah. It couldn't be any more obvious of a disguise to choose, if you'd ask me. I mean, the Reaper in a cloak? Never mind that it's in a more festive color, but one would think you'd be the one more likely to find the choice a bit distasteful."

"You didn't seem to have an issue with it before."

"Yeah… thinking back on bringing you out of that boat, I honestly didn't know what you were capable of. Irony is a pain."

"That it is."

King Eugene crossed his arms and mirrored the same suspicious expression Hans had on his face, albeit a bit more stiff in its execution. "Interesting how much you've changed over the span of a little under a year. Tell me, what  _remarkable_  event caused this to happen? Remember, I used to be a thief, and I've seen a lot of things happen to people like you, so it had to be something extremely life-changing for you to switch sides like that."

"You wouldn't believe it if I were to tell you."

"I think I have a bit of idea." Eugene quirked his eyes to where Queen Elsa sat at the front of the crowd of people.

Hans sighed and tugged at the hem of his hood near his cheek to hide the flush of embarrassment.

"Kristoff told you?" Hans said, feeling a bit betrayed.

"And Princess Anna. And Queen Elsa herself."

Hans felt like he wanted to hide into the wall.

"Hey now, nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, I stole  _the_  priceless Crown of the Lost Princess of Corona, and then suddenly I found myself finding it worthless if I wasn't going to be with this strange and quirky girl I ended up having a wild adventure with. Even more, I found myself willing to die just for her sake; me, a guy who never really cared for anyone else before. But it all turned out okay in the end."

It likely wasn't what the king had intended, since it seemed that Eugene only meant to be encouraging, but Hans couldn't help but feel  _dis_ couraged. It was almost like what Elias had suggested, but with a lot less malice and a lot more reasoning behind it.

If love could be considered reasonable, that is.

When it came to it, what was Hans willing to give up for Elsa's sake? And what was worth more to him: her safety, or her happiness?

Why couldn't she have both?

Maybe, if the Ludoviko fellow from earlier was genuine in his interest in the queen, and if Elsa wouldn't deny herself another chance at love, perhaps she  _could_  have both. Even if the count ended up having none-too-noble motives, Elsa could change him just as she was able to change his own unwilling heart, right?

But that was also assuming the man was as vile as he was, once upon a time.

###

It was a lot of work and planning, but Anna was pleased to see that the guests were enjoying the festivities of the wedding celebration, the  _pièce de résistance_ being the talent show that took  _way_  too much time and effort that she had originally planned on investing into it. When it came to the fruits of that labor, everything was going as perfectly as it could have.

All the performers were on time, were showing just as much effort and zeal into their performance as she had in directing them; the audience playing along when a sleight-of-hand magician called for a willing volunteer, or clapping in time to a jig.

She had planned the order of each performance meticulously, grouping them on the seasons each performance would usually be done. It was a wonderful display of Arendelle's culture for the visiting guests, giving them a taste of how entertainment was like if one were to live here. So when it came time for her and her sister to give Hans a disguise, she couldn't help but feel pleased at the music choice she gave him. The folk song he was to play was usually played during the winter, after all.

And thus, Hans was still waiting his turn backstage as the last performer of the talent show, especially since he was grouped with the other winter performances.

"Did you see them earlier just after the wedding?" Kristoff, her newly-wedded husband whispered to her during an autumn performance. It was a play the school children would perform during harvest time, the plot being centered around ghosts. "King Eugene and Hans, I mean."

"Yeah, hopefully he was able to get him out of the dumps he's been in lately. I mean, it worked for you, right?" Anna whispered back.

"If you think that's me being in the dumps, Anna, then I'm afraid of what you'll have me do when I  _really_  am in the dumps. I was just anxious about the wedding, that's all." He chuckled good-naturedly.

"Seriously, it looked like Eugene struck a nerve or something, because Hans has started acting even  _more_  weird, if that was possible. Do you think that's a good thing?"

"I don't know. I haven't really been good at reading people, but at least I know his intentions are still pretty good. I'll ask my family and see if they have anything to say. But then again, they asked me not to when we went to visit them."

"Not even for a 'yes or no' kind of answer?"

"Maybe. I'll find out what I can. Hans is seriously worrying me more than he should be. Elsa increased the number of eyes watching him, and it's not for our own safety, if you know what I mean."

"I do, unfortunately." Anna turned her eyes back to the stage as the emcee was about to announce the next act.

It was still early, too early for the dinner that was going to happen later on in the night. It seemed that Anna had misjudged the amount of time the show would take. Hmm, maybe she could convince Elsa to stall the people a bit with an idea she'd been having for a while.

Elsa was as much a part of Arendelle's culture as each performance onstage, so why not?

"Elsa!" Anna hissed, drawing her sister's attention a few seats away.

"Yes Anna?" the queen hissed back.

"It's still early. Think you can  _entertain_  the guests after the show's done?"

"Entertain?" Elsa knitted her eyebrows together, trying to understand what Anna was implicating. Her face relaxed in realization, understanding her sister's request. "Oh! Of course!"

Pleased with herself, Anna clapped her hands together in glee.

And right on cue, the announcer introduced Hans to be the next performer as a "mysterious musician" who would play a winter festival favorite with the accompaniment of Arendelle's royal orchestra.

###

It was time.

Why did he agree to do this, again?

Oh, right. Elsa.

Taking a deep breath and making sure his disguise was secure, Hans strode onto center stage, violin and bow in one hand. Just in front of the stage, he saw the orchestra setting up, the conductor instructing them to quickly tune their instruments. With a gloved finger, Hans plucked the strings of his own instrument, ensuring that it was in tune to the orchestra's instruments, before he pulled his left glove off and stuffed it in his coat pocket hidden underneath his cloak.

He couldn't help but take notice of the people he would be performing for – did Anna and Kristoff  _really_  have to invite so many people? – finding the familiar faces of his family, the newlyweds, even Kristoff's troll family. Just off to the side in her own seclusion sat Elsa, an encouraging smile directed his way. Behind her sat Count Mikelo, as expectant as everyone else in the crowd for him to begin playing.

Hans took another deep breath and nodded to the conductor.

The conductor nodded in acknowledgement and lifted his baton.

It wasn't often when Hans had been able to play with the orchestra accompanying him, so it was still a novel experience. He feared messing up.

But in all of his practicing this one piece, he found that he had been able to find a state where the music just flowed, the notes he drew from the wooden instrument in his hands being effortless and keeping in tune and tempo with the other musicians, his attentions able to be directed elsewhere. Kristoff called it being "in the zone" or something to that nature.

So when he risked dividing his attention to see how the crowd was reacting, he was pleasantly surprised to find a few of them rising from their seats to dance with each other in the isles. It filled him with a curious sense of accomplishment, knowing that he was able to evoke such festive spirits with his own non-professional playing. Even more surprising, his own brothers had decided to follow the crowd's example and found partners to dance with, joining in on the amusement.

Had they known who was really underneath the hood, they likely wouldn't have done so. But as it was, they didn't, so he couldn't help but feel a childlike sense of mischief.

Then, he saw Count Mikelo rise from his seat, a hand outstretched and head bowing slightly. He was asking the queen to dance with him.

Shocked, Elsa raised questioning eyes to Hans. He slowly nodded as he played, hoping that she would remember the promise to not pass up the opportunity to enjoy herself should the occasion arise. After all, Hans himself was genuinely finding himself in higher spirits, despite the constant dreariness he experienced lately. It was a wedding, a time for celebration. It would be a disservice to not participate after all the work that was put into it, correct?

A well of happiness rose within him when he saw the wide grin the queen was showing as she danced, the skirt of her dress swaying as she moved her feet with the nobleman leading her steps. Hans could see the nobleman murmuring to her, in which he saw Elsa blushing and conversing along with him.

Hans surprised himself when he discovered that he no longer felt jealous. Whoever this man was, if he was able to make Elsa happy with whatever small gesture he was showing to her, he couldn't be mad at him. After all, the queen only deserved happiness, not the downcast mood she had shared with Hans for the past few days. She was never going to be his, and he was never going to be hers. Their situations didn't allow for that to happen.

When his performance finally ended, he was actually disappointed that it was over, since it meant that he wouldn't be able to witness the crowd's happiness like this again. Because when it was all said and done, the next time he would be on stage was for another public execution.

The crowd turned to face him, a standing ovation, their applause rumbling the wooden planks of the stage beneath his feet.

This certainly was going to be the end of an age that he knew was too good to have ever happened. It was never meant for him.

To his surprise, Princess Anna was beside him, nudging his arm.

That was right, he needed to make his "big reveal."

"C'mon, what are you waiting for? The crowd loves you!" Anna goaded.

"They're going to hate me once this hood comes off," Hans said, but despite his reservations, he swiped the hood away from his head and tugged off the scarf. And what do you know? The crowd didn't stop in their applause. In fact, it grew even louder. He heard the distinguished whoops of a few of his siblings at realizing who the "mysterious musician" was.

Something stirred in Hans' heart. A feeling he hadn't felt in what felt like forever.

Pride.

It wasn't a boastful sort of pride, nor the pride that lead to his own downfall. It was the sort of pride that one had when a sense of achievement was attained, when one could say to themselves, "I finally did it." So it was only fair that he exchanged thankful smiles to the people who were able to make it a reality: Kristoff, Anna, and – last but not least – Elsa.

###

The wedding guests were assembled in the castle's courtyard, Queen Elsa at the center of the ring of people. An arrangement not too dissimilar to that fateful day after her return to her kingdom after ending the Eternal Winter.

Hans was surrounded by a group of people, inquisitive and praising him on his performance during the show. Even his brothers seemed to be taking part in giving him positive attention, for once, save for King Pieter. Elsa didn't contemplate on this too hard, since he was a monarch and likely had to divert his own attention to other curious guests.

"See? It worked," Anna said to Elsa. "They don't hate him anymore."

"It's wonderful. We can finally have that weight lifted from our shoulders," Elsa said.

"Who was that man you were dancing with? That really handsome-looking guy with the black hair and blue eyes like the sea. Oh and that jawline to die for."

"I'm right here, you know," Kristoff huffed indignantly.

"Silly, I married  _you_ , you know. And I wouldn't ever change it." Anna placed a quick kiss on her husband's cheek, red blossoming at the contact. "No one could ever be as perfect as you."

Kristoff laughed and swept Anna into his arms, spinning in a circle, bringing his face close to hers, "Except you."

Elsa grinned at witnessing the newlyweds' interaction with each other, interrupting the moment by obliging her sister's curiosity. "The man was Count Mikelo Ludoviko of Gavallande."

"Him!?  _The_  Count Ludoviko of Gavallande?" Anna shrilled in excitement. "The artist? His kingdom finally let him visit?"

"Wait, you know of him?"

"Know of him? Elsa, he was on the list of possible suitors for you! Of course I do! Don't you?"

Oh, that was right. Elsa almost forgot about that list, especially since she didn't want to think of any other man while she was trying to sort out how she felt about Hans. And even when the list was on her mind, she didn't particularly keep his name in mind since it was unlikely she would ever have been arranged to be married to him since he was a nobleman. She recalled a few cursory facts, mainly that he was eligible as a suitor to the, at the time, Crown Princess Elsa of Arendelle due to being part of a royal bloodline. But he was so far down the line that the people who were once in charge of her marriage status wouldn't have really considered him.

Now that she came to think of it, Hans was also on that list one time, long ago. That list virtually done away with, once she became queen and the choice of whether or not she married was solely hers. With Anna and Kristoff married, there was even less pressure for her to find a suitor.

"Not very well, actually," Elsa said, suddenly curious about the count. "You say he's an artist?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, he's the one people go to nowadays for having their royal portraits done. He's never really left his country before, since he was always so busy. Then again, since he's attending a  _wedding_ , it would make more sense that he's here because he wants to work on a new portrait of the royal family of Arendelle."

"Do you know anything else about him?"

"Other than he looks like a work of art himself, not really."

"Anna, please, I'm not into him. He seems nice, but I'm not one to fall for a person's appearances right away."

The princess heaved a loud sigh, "That's a relief! I thought I was going to have to do the whole thing I had to do with Hans all over again. There's only so much a sister can handle, and trying to accept another possible man in her sibling's life is kinda pushing it."

"I guess that I'm fortunate that I only have to worry about Kristoff."

"As it should be," Kristoff agreed in amusement.

"Lo and behold," Anna said, directing their attention to an approaching Mikelo and nudging Elsa with her elbow, "one of your admirers looks like he wants to talk to you."

"Queen Elsa," Mikelo greeted, bowing at the waist. "That man who performed so wonderfully on the violin earlier, do you happen to be at liberty to reveal his name to me?"

There it was again, the same question from earlier. Why was the count so intent on knowing who Hans was?

"Have you tried asking him yourself?" Elsa asked.

"I have, Your Majesty, but he continues to be as mysterious as he was when he first walked onstage with that guise on. I even tried asking the other guests, though they were only giving me pieces of his identity. Is it true that he is an executioner?"

"This is true. May I ask why you have an interest in him?"

"There is something about him that seems familiar, but I'm probably mistaken. I've never made the acquaintance with an executioner before, my work usually surrounding itself with royalty."

"Queen Elsa," came a voice behind her. The group turned to see a distraught King Pieter, a haunted look in his eyes, clothing disheveled. Dark droplets and splashes were coating his attire and his face, the substance red like…

Blood.

How had no one notice the king's state yet in a crowd like this? Elsa decided not to push anyone's luck any further and pulled him to a secluded corner, hidden by a topiary and a large stack of wedding gifts. Kristoff, Anna, and Mikelo followed.

"Q-queen Elsa. I-I'm so sorry," Pieter muttered, his gaze still going into the distance. "My brothers and I have only continued to burden you. I had no idea that they would bring their problems with them to Arendelle, or even to the extent their problems have ailed them—"

"What happened? Is this blood?" Elsa asked, trying to keep her voice calm as she got a closer look at the red that coated the king's clothes. It certainly was blood. "Are you hurt?"

"Elias. He— I only wanted to see him. His mind appeared to be deteriorating the last time I saw him, and I just— I worried that he would do something drastic and so I went— He took a guard's sword and—"

"Are you hurt?" Anna asked, emphasizing Elsa's question.

"N-no. Elias, h-he's dead! He killed himself with the sword right in front of me, right in his neck." Pieter collapsed to his knees, sobbing. " Oh God, why? There was so much blood! I couldn't stop it all, the guards wouldn't let me stop it. Th-they told me that it would be better to tell you what happened. Oh God, oh my God. I shouldn't have gone to visit him."

The group gasped at hearing the news.

Kristoff pulled Count Mikelo aside and commanded him, "Don't say anything to anyone yet. You stay right here with King Pieter, okay? We're going to try to address this."

"But what of the others?" Mikelo asked. "Wouldn't they be concerned that the queen and the newlyweds have disappeared from the celebration?"

Elsa had to agree that he brought up a good point.

"You could distract them for a little with your magic, Elsa." Anna said, reminding her of the request during the talent show. "It should distract them enough to not notice that we're gone for a bit. Hopefully it'll be enough time to get this all under control and keep everyone from panicking."

"Alright, no time to waste, then," Elsa said as she nodded resolutely. She pulled on her façade of regal calm and walked to the center of the courtyard, calling the guests to direct their attention to her. Hans pulled away from the group of people that surrounded him, wanting to witness what the queen had in store. He flashed her a smile, but pursed his lips when he knew there was something wrong.

Others wouldn't have been able to pick up on it, since Elsa was really good at hiding her emotions when needed, but Hans was too perceptive for that.

"Is everyone ready?" Elsa asked the crowd, a practiced confidence and smile hiding her true feelings of worry and panic. She stifled them, trying to bring up thoughts that calmed her and brought out feelings of love so her magic wouldn't be uncontrolled as she went to turn the entire courtyard into a skating rink for the guests. In her mind, she thought of Anna when she tried, and failed, to help out in making a chocolate cake for her birthday, of her parents and their devotion to their daughters, of Anna and her determination to save her from herself during the Eternal Winter.

Of Hans and his green eyes, and teaching her to dance for the first time, and the connection she felt with him, and all the hardships they've had to overcome in trying to help him with his curses. Of the gleam of happiness that lit up his face during his performance, a light that she feared would never be able to see in him again.

With these thoughts in mind, the magic from her fingertips flew with ease, the power of ice and winter dancing in time to her imagination. She relished this feeling, knowing that she would need to remember it in order to keep a level head to correct whatever chaos was awaiting her in the dungeons.

The crowd gasped in awe, admiring the creations she conjured in the courtyard, the beauty of winter contained in its four walls.

Then Hans crumpled to the ground screaming, his blue cloak pooling around him.

And the ground started to shake.


	19. Fracturing

The world was agony.

All of Hans' nerves felt like they were on fire, his voice growing hoarse from his blaring shouts at the pain. He curled into himself, holding onto his head for dear life as the land's voice boomed around him, its presence so tangible that it was crushing into his very being.

Each time the land spoke, the earth underneath Arendelle rumbled along with it.

_Destroy the sorceress!_  the land commanded.  _She continues to threaten the balance of nature with her accursed magic!_

To his horror, he felt himself start to push from the ground against his will.

No!

Straining, he resisted the involuntary pulling of his muscles, fueled by a desperation to keep the people around him safe. He locked his joints, barring them from making any more movement.

_You fool! She is going to destroy me!_ the land called out in panic. The earth shook even more, the iced ground around Hans formed fractures in the cobblestone in a thunderous cacophony. A surge of cold lanced through his veins, and a haze of darkness started to emanate from the cracks around him. Seeing the unnatural phenomenon caused the crowd of people around him to flee in terror.

He could feel a presence at the edge of his mind, trying to barge its way through. It's a wonder how long he'd been able to resist so far. It could have been seconds, or minutes, or even hours; it certainly was far longer than he had been able to in the past.

But he knew he couldn't stop it.

He felt a darkness overtaking his thoughts, muddying what little clarity he'd been able to muster against its intrusion.

"Elsa!" Hans screamed, hoping his last plea was able to force its way through his strained vocal cords. "Run!"

_Be safe_ , he added mentally as he felt his control slipping.

A barraging wave crashed into his consciousness, and he was forced away into a corner of his awareness, helpless to rise against the entity that possessed him.

###

"An earthquake?" Kristoff asked, wondering at the trembling ground after he failed to keep himself upright on the frozen courtyard. He turned his attention to a skidding Anna beside him, "Did you know Elsa could do this?"

"That's not Elsa," Anna said, eying something in the distance in disbelief.

The screaming man sounded familiar, and Kristoff dreaded to confirm his suspicions in seeing who it was. It was just like reliving those terrible moments Hans shattered those doors a few days ago all over again.

Except worse.

"Everyone needs to get to safety!" Kristoff heard Granpabbie instruct in the distance to the individuals who were struck motionless by surprise and fear. Some of the trolls even prodded and pulled at a few who continued to stare at the spectacle in disbelief.

The earth continued to quake, the trembling increasing in intensity.

And then the most horrific sound clamored around him.

The sturdy walls that encompassed the perimeter of the courtyard and castle creaked and groaned before collapsing in large chunks in areas that couldn't handle the stress of the tremors anymore. A loud  _crack_  and Kristoff looked up to see a large fracture forming along a wall of a nearby tower of the castle, the tall stone structure leaning precariously towards the newly-married couple on its last grips.

It was going to fall.

"Get out of the way!" Kristoff called to a group of people that were standing too close to the collapsing tower as he and Anna rushed to avoid the large debris. One of the chunks impacted the side of his head, causing him to lose his sense of balance and tumble to the ground, blacking out briefly.

The scenery around him swam in a haze as he tried to regain his bearings, the world filled with a cloud of mortar dust from the collapsed structures, his ears filled with the shouts of terrified people.

Anna... Where was Anna!?

He braced his arms in front of him, pushing against the floor with all the might he could muster to bring himself to his feet.

He couldn't move.

And that was when he noticed the resistance against his lower body. He tried to crane his neck behind him to see the problem with his legs, but he found that he couldn't turn himself over to assess what damage he sustained.

He felt around himself, trying to figure out what was wrong. His hands rans over a gritty surface where his legs should be, hard and heavy.

A large slab of stone had pinned him to the floor.

…why couldn't he feel his legs?

"Anna!" Kristoff called, pushing against the slab, hoping to lift it off of himself. But it was no use, he was laying on his front; there wasn't enough leverage to free himself from the stone when it was behind him. "Anna, where are you!?"

"Kristoff!" came the panicked voice of the princess. Her form parted through the dust cloud, crawling on all fours. Her face lit up when he found him, but then she screamed in shock. "Oh no… Kristoff! Oh no. No, no, no. I-I'll get you out, okay? You're going to be fine." Tears started to flow down her cheeks, muddying the dirt that got plastered on her face.

"H-how bad is it?" Kristoff asked in apprehension as Anna set herself to the task of trying to free him. "It's hard to tell what's going on when I can't feel my feet." He chuckled half-heartedly, trying to ease the direness of the situation. Anna's mouth set itself into a thin line, the tears continuing to trail down her face as she grunted in effort against the stone that trapped him.

He tried not to panic when he noticed dark puddle forming around him, and the similar shade of red covering the princess' hands as she pulled away to recuperate her strength. He hoped it wasn't his.

But he knew the look on Anna's face said otherwise.

That wasn't good.

"Princess Anna!" Granpabbie called out, trying hard not to stumble from the shaking ground as he made his way over. "It is not safe here. That tower just collapsed and there is no telling if more of the castle will suffer the same."

"It's Kristoff – he's stuck! I can't get him out!" Anna sobbed, trying to budge the slab to no avail.

"Elsa!" Kristoff heard Hans shout in the distance. "Run!"

In that last, final plea from the tormented prince, it was as if all bars on the land's fury was unleashed.

The earth groaned as fractures raced across the still-frosted courtyard, a shadowy aura creeping out of its depths. Something inside of him instinctively wanted to be repulsed by it, shivering in intense disgust.

"Anna, you need to leave. Now," Kristoff ordered, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I can't leave you," Anna replied, aghast at being told to do such a thing.

"You need to make sure Hans doesn't get to Elsa."

"But—"

"Anna, I will take care of Kristoff," Granpabbie said. "The other trolls and I will try to figure out a way to help him."

Anna bit her lip in indecision, her steps shifting slightly.

"Okay," she said after deliberating a few moments more. "Promise me you'll be okay, alright?"

"I promise," Kristoff said.

And so the princess took off into the chaos to look for her sister.

###

To say things were going badly was an understatement.

The kingdom was literally crumbling to pieces around her, the horrified screams of the people flooded her ears, and her magic was swirling out of control. Each time an accidental stream of ice and frost flew from her hands and feet, the ground shook even harder, making it difficult to keep herself oriented and upright.

It was her fault. All of this was her fault. Why did she have to be born with these powers in the first place?

But out of everyone else in the kingdom, she knew that she was the most capable of stopping the land's rampage. If she could be spared a moment to just  _stop_ and  _think_ so she could be able to reverse whatever damage she was causing with her magic, maybe she might even be able to come up with a solution.

But wasn't that what everyone was doing anyway? There might not  _be_  a solution.

At least not the solution she wanted.

The queen had to duck out of the way when she saw the tower falling, the rubble skidding and bouncing dangerously close to where she stood moments prior.

"Sorceress!" growled the borrowed voice of Hans, warped with an inhuman undertone, face as impassive as stone. "Your blight upon the world must end!"

He raised his hand, summoning the scythe into his grip. She only had a moment to react and twist out of the way before he rushed her and made a downward swipe with the blade. Icicles jutted from the floor where she once stood, impaling Hans in the arm.

Elsa gasped when she saw droplets of blood spatter upon the frozen ground. Her stomach bottomed out when he yanked his arm away, face still belying no reaction.

He made another swing, widely missing her this time.

But it was apparent he wasn't aiming for her, the blade of the scythe impaling deep into a crack in the earth in front of him. With a twist, the fracture grew wider, more of the darkness seeping through the opening. It grew more opaque, separating and molding, forming into globular shapes.

Shadow people.

Upon closer inspection, she recognized the faces of all the people Hans had executed during his stay in Arendelle, though their forms looked to be eternally cast in darkness, their expressions blank and bleak. It was as if they were without hope, and that they knew they can't do anything about it.

Was this the fate of all the souls who've fallen victim to horribly incredible circumstances?

All their work, all of their attempts at trying to make light of a horrible situation… How could it have gone so wrong?

"Rise, my subjects!" commanded the land through Hans. "Show this realm what it means to show solidarity against me! They must continue to pay for refusing to heed my anger!"

With a reluctance that was evident in their movements, the shadows ambled their way around the courtyards with a dizzying speed, taking the fearful and unwilling wedding guests and citizens into their grasps and tossing them into a group at the middle of the nigh-destroyed courtyard.

A single, solid hit of the end of the scythe's handle against the ground, and a wide, bottomless sinkhole appeared beneath the unprepared crowd causing them to plummet into its dark depths.

"No!" Elsa screamed, rushing to the edge of the hole in a desperate and futile attempt to save them.

"Continue to gather the others, I will deal with the sorceress," the possessed prince said to the shadows, walking menacingly to Elsa.

She brought her hands up, readying herself for the impending attack, inching slowly away from her precarious position near the sinkhole.

"Please, stop," she begged. "Hans, you have to fight it! I know you're in there somewhere. Please, I know you can fight it."

"This mortal you speak of is dead. He was too strong-willed to do my bidding, so I deemed it best for him to cease existing."

"No." Elsa's knees started to buckle, almost giving in to her despair. He couldn't be gone. Not like this. Please, not like this.

It was like losing Anna all over again.

"Fate can't save you now, sorceress," the land said, pulling off the gloves that covered Hans' hands, tossing the stitched leather aside. "With this body under my control, there's no barrier in the way to stop me. Now it is  _my_  turn to determine your future."

Elsa rolled away when he made a lunge to grab her, throwing up a wall of ice to thwart another immediate attempt at getting her. The earth beneath her feet began to rumble, preventing her from being able to recover from her evasive dodge as the scythe sliced through the ice, creating an opening.

"I don't want to hurt you," she pleaded. But it seemed like it had to come to it, if this disaster were to end.

"You already have, and your existence proves that you will continue to do so."

"Then tell me how to stop, instead of killing everyone who's innocent in all of this!"

"Humanity's ignorance shows that they are just as guilty, and so they too must suffer as I have."

He strode closer to where she was as she shuffled slowly away, her back finding a portion of the courtyard wall that hadn't yet fallen.

Resigned, Elsa closed her eyes, calling forth all the ice she could muster, knowing that all she could do would be to protect herself and her people was to end this. Permanently.

But she couldn't.

Not when it came to killing someone she loved. Though the essence of who Hans was didn't exist in those emotionless eyes anymore, his body was still there.

And despite everything, she still hoped he was still there. Somewhere.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to make the decision.

###

"You're going to be okay, Kristoff," Granpabbie soothed, grunting every so often as he and the other trolls tried to lift the stone slab off of him.

"I can't feel my legs," Kristoff whispered, dreading what that implied. He felt a sob beginning to form in his throat. It almost escaped him, but was released as a choked gasp instead. Bulda took his face into her hands, staring sadly into his eyes.

"We will do what we can about that, sweetie," she said. "But you'll be okay. You're going to make it."

"Are you sure? I-I've never been so scared in my life."

"Of course I'm sure. A mother knows these things." She smiled somberly. "In fact, if you'd like, I and maybe even a few others can stay with you as you recover, make sure everything goes as it should be. I just need the queen's permission."

Kristoff liked the sound of that. While he would be considered an incredibly independent person, able to function without seeing his family regularly – though he still visited them frequently enough just to ease  _their_  worries about him – the thought of having to recover from an injury like this was daunting. Sure, he would have Anna with him, but he knew he needed the foundational support of his troll family to keep him sane.

Because having to be kept off his feet for a good few months would certainly drive him crazy.

Though the situation was dire, the thought was able to keep him from falling into despair at his predicament, causing him to smile genuinely back at Bulda.

"I'll make sure to run that by the queen," Kristoff said.

With a final grunt in unison from the trolls, the slab was heaved high enough for Bulda to grab Kristoff by the arms and drag him out from underneath.

Just in time, too, since it looked like the situation regarding Hans had escalated rapidly, specters of darkness darting this way and that to grab unwitting and unprepared guests and citizens.

One of them made their way to reach the vulnerable Kristoff, but hesitated when he saw the trolls that stood between them. The shade hissed in disgust and turned away, seeking out another victim.

That was incredibly lucky.

Kristoff wondered how Anna was faring. Was she even still alive?

###

"Elsa!" Anna cried desperately, being held back by Hans' brothers, looking on helplessly at her sister's imminent demise. She knew her sister couldn't hear her, not with all the tumult of anguished cries of people continuously being tossed to their deaths, of families sobbing in fear as they ran to flee the shadows chasing them, of the guards as they tried to battle off the phantoms that prevented them from trying to save their queen; not when she was so far away, hiding from the shades of executed convicts with some of her least favorite people in the world.

How was it that the brothers were able to find each other and stick together, while everyone she loved was going to die? Even that Count Mikelo guy was with them, for goodness sake!

"Not so loud, Princess Anna," Prince Aleksander hissed, gripping his hands together with white knuckles as he witnessed the destruction around them. "Do you want to be tossed in the sinkhole next?"

"But he's going to kill her!"

"And how do you suppose we stop him?" Prince Rasmus asked, panicking as much as everyone else was for once.

"I-I don't know! I can't help Kristoff, and now I can't help Elsa. I can't lose both of them!"

"What about you, King Pieter?" Prince Magnus asked. "The pixies feared you, maybe you can somehow get to whatever's controlling Hans at the moment?"

"That's only if he was even  _paying attention_ ," Prince Jakob huffed.

The vacant look still persisted in the king's eyes from witnessing Elias' death from earlier, the calamity around him not registering on his face. The brothers still weren't aware of what happened to the eleventh brother, so their tangible annoyance at his unresponsiveness warned her that she needed to intervene before anyone added another complication to this already out-of-control mess.

"Forget him!" Anna bit. "If he's not ready to face this, then he's not ready."

Aleksander flinched back, holding his chest in shock. "K-Klaus?!"

They all turned to where Aleskander was looking, and in the distance they saw an apparition coming between the queen and the rampaging body of Hans.

But instead of a black shade, it was an ethereal being of white.

###

"Do not lose hope, Your Majesty," whispered a voice in Elsa's head. Shocked, she opened her eyes, their gaze falling on the straining white-glowing form of a man as he grappled with the scythe in Hans' hands. "My brother still lives, and he continues to fight. For this, I suggest you do the same."

Brother?

Was this… Prince Klaus?

"How? I… I can't kill him." She stood frozen still on the spot, unable to will herself to move due to fear.

"You must seal his heart," the apparition mouthed as he turned to her briefly, but the sound resonated in her thoughts. He turned back to his task, beginning to buckle under the strength of his possessed brother. "The land won't be able to reach him."

"How?"

"You must freeze it."

Freeze his heart?

No… she can't!

"That will kill him!" she gasped.

"No. His love for you will keep him alive. Your love for him will keep him safe."

"But won't love thaw a frozen heart? How can we be sure this works?"

"The part that belongs to him that he's given to you can thaw, but the part that belongs to the land will not."

Klaus was then tossed aside, his ethereal body landing into the clutches of the dark apparitions.

"You must do it now, Your Majesty!" his voice resounded in her head as he fought the black specters against him. Three light-glowing spirits rushed to his aid.

The murdered Coronians.

The light and dark battled against one another, and though the white, ethereal beings were greatly outnumbered, they were holding up surprisingly well; enough where the shades were distracted enough from killing more men and women to fight against them.

But it was a stalemate. There was no telling how long they would hold up if the land were to join in their battle.

With shaking limbs, Elsa resolved herself to action, once again bringing her powers to surface. The scythe descended once again upon her and so she twisted to the side. But with little room to make a proper evasion, she felt the blade tear into her side, tracing a wound along the length of her body.

If it was any closer, she just might have suffered damage to her bones.

Elsa cried out in pain, tears blurring her vision as she shot her magic into Hans' heart. She collapsed from the agony that burned from her wound, her blood seeping through the conjured fabric of her dress.

Enraged, the land thrust out Hans' hand to grab her, pulling her close to his face. The pain from the natural wound in her side was nothing compared to the torment she experienced of the pixie's curse.

The world was so bright. Too bright.

"You think you could defeat me?" Hans' distorted voice growled. "You are a fool! Now your soul will belong to me!" But just as this was being said, Elsa saw the distinguishable streak of white forming in his auburn hair.

Her frozen heart curse was taking hold.

Whether it was going to be her end, or even if freezing his heart was going to work, Elsa couldn't stay conscious for long, her body rejecting every stimuli of pain that was carried along her nerves. She fought the creeping darkness in her vision for as long as she could, however, just long enough to see the hardened, impassive face of Hans slowly melt into an expression of relief and terror as he released her from his grip.

###

The world was still. Silent. Holding bated breath.

The shadows were gone. Even Klaus and the Coronians were nowhere in sight. The darkness that crept out of the fractured, frozen ground beneath his feet were no more. Even the sinkhole and fractures themselves were slowly disappearing, the earth mending itself. The same could not be said about the castle, the walls that surrounded it, or even the buildings in the town nearby.

Was it better that Hans was all too aware of the destruction that was going on? Was it better that, despite how long and how hard he fought to regain control, all he could do was watch as many people died, his body not under his control, his mouth forming horrible words that weren't his?

Would it have been better if he was unaware like those first incidences where he lost control?

"Monster!" cried an impassioned voice, piercing through the relative calm after the calamity. A chorus of voices followed along, screaming similar accusations into the air.

"Murderer!"

"Demon!"

"Abomination!"

"Kill him! Kill him before he gets anyone else!"

The roars around signaled that the people were rallying together to mob against him, footsteps echoing though the leveled courtyard. He didn't move, allowing their advances.

"Stop, don't touch him!" shrieked the voice of Princess Anna.

Hans turned around, worried that the princess had put herself in the line of danger. Somehow, Anna was able to halt their advances, but it didn't look like she would be able to do so for long.

"Your Highness, did you not see what he has done? He must pay!" argued a person in the mob.

"Let Queen Elsa be the judge of that," she argued back.

"She's clearly out of commission! Look!" pointed out an Arendellian citizen.

"Then as next in line, let me say that she spared him for a reason! I think I should act on that as well!"

"Did he spare my children? No! Why should we show him that mercy?"

Anna looked between the mob and Hans, appearing torn as to what she should do in such a precarious position of negotiation.

"I will give him a fifteen-minute head start," Anna said at last to the angry crowd.. "If you find him, then you may do as you please." She approached Hans, warning him in a low tone, "And I suggest you take it. Though I'm sure it wasn't really you who hurt my sister, I'm still pretty mad about all of this. Elsa didn't want you to be hurt for some reason, despite it being obvious she could have bested you, so make sure you don't get yourself killed by these people."

Mouth agape, Hans wasn't able to register much of the situation unfolding around him. So he ran, the cloak Elsa made him billowing as air rushed around it, scythe still within his grasp for some unknown reason.

And little by little, as the sounds of a mourning Arendelle grew further into the distance, and later the voices of an angry mob coming for him, he could feel himself growing colder and colder.

So cold that he found he felt nothing.


	20. Epilogue

"Word around here says that you're looking for work."

At the sound of her voice, the man looked up from his plate of food – at least she presumed he was male, considering his stature; the uniform she saw underneath his blue cloak upon closer inspection helped confirm this – green eyes squinted at her suspiciously as he quickly drew up the scarf around his neck to his face to mask his identity, too quickly for her to get a good look at his appearance.

Good. In her line of work it wouldn't do to be too easily trusting of a stranger. Thinking of this, she tugged at the hood of her own black cloak, more to obscure her lips as she spoke in case there were eavesdroppers than to hide her identity, as the man had done.

After all, she was a woman of no consequence unless you happened to be her target. It was fun to revel in a successful strike when they knew your face, but not your name. This man, though, if all went well, she might have more use for him alive rather than dead.

"I am. I don't have much experience with hard labor, but I'm willing to learn," he stated.

"You any good with a sword? A uniform like that would suggest so," she said. "Not to mention the company you keep in an establishment like this. It's a wonder you haven't been stabbed in the back yet."

"I've had training," he responded, nonchalant, turning his attention back to his food, cutting the meat into diced cubes. He refrained from pulling down his scarf to take a bite, instead pushing the morsels around on the plate as if rearranging them could reveal some hidden secret. The mysterious man turned once again to look at her, eyes lacking luster or excitement as he continued, "As for those in this godforsaken inn, I must say they are afraid of me. I didn't have the most subtle of entrances upon arriving here if you've been kept up to date about the goings-on around here."

She nodded. Yes, she had heard.

Middle of the night, scaring off a small group of men with some kind of dark sorcery – it was intel from a very reputable informant – and the others agreed that if they were able to recruit him, nothing would stand in the way of their cause.

However, the man certainly was an enigma, the innkeeper was not kidding about that. Even the informant couldn't bring up much about this mysterious dark sorcerer, though he constantly claimed that he was familiar somehow.

This man's ambiguity could certainly work into her favor. Working in the shadows was her forte, and it would certainly be beneficial if he was willing to be an asset.

"Self-defense, war, or just for show?"

"A bit of each."

Really... Hmm, he possibly was a man of high status at some point if he participated in the latter. Fencing was a pastime of the privileged, after all. Good, good. His résumé was looking particularly perfect for what she needed him for.

"Ever killed anyone?" she asked, straightforward. The man's cold gaze hardened at this, eyes narrowing even more in suspicion. But there was no fear, or anger, or disgust, or even surprise. His inhuman, impersonal reaction was… awe-inspiring.

His jaw underneath the scarf set to one side, likely contemplating his answer.

"Now, why would someone as obviously as informed as you are be asking me this question?" he said at last. It was intended to be posed as interrogative, but his voice was as unfeeling as a bitter, starless winter's night. "Life should have taught you to be wary of speaking to strangers, especially if you have suspicions of homicidal intent about them."

Green eyes flickered back to her, icy. Passionless. A warning hidden beneath the frozen exterior.

Curious how she constantly associated the cold with him. Her instincts weren't quite sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing for what she required of him. He was dangerous, that much was apparent. The same could be said about herself, of course, so it didn't really bother her.

She decided to prod further.

"Well…" she drawled, quirking her lips into a faint grin as she pulled up a chair and sat across from him. She brought her elbows to rest on the table, clasping her hands together in a display of authority and power. She leaned forward conspiratorially. "From what I've heard, there was a man that arrived in town months ago, alone and on the run from something. He was able to scare off whoever was tailing him and bunkered down in an inn notorious for its  _underground_  dealings.

"When some people tried to get a jump on him because of his  _oh-so-obvious_  wealth in his clothing, he killed them in self-defense. With little mess to clean up afterwards, too. Now, said man is looking for work since he appears to be without any money on him, yet he refuses to become a mercenary like the people at the inn would like him to be because of his  _unique_  skill set."

"And you believe I am the man you're looking for."

"Of course. The innkeeper said as such. Not to mention that no one else here is in finery like you are. Hm, with those colors… You from Arendelle?"

The faintest flicker of life in his eyes at the mention of the ruined kingdom, but it was extinguished faster than it was able to fully manifest itself.

Ah, so he had some spark to him after all.

But he didn't continue on with an explanation, and continued to stare with a dull look.

She pretended not to be fazed by it. "I'm going to assume you are. Well, luckily my associates and I are planning to take our work over there. A kingdom in need is where I personally like to conduct business."

"And what is this business?"

"I think you can figure it out with how our little interview is going."

Murder, assassination, or whatever else the commonwealth liked to call it. She personally liked to think of it as "removing a few choice pieces in a chess set," because the other terms didn't imply that there was any rhyme or reason to conducting business.

She  _could_ just have said this instead of beating around the bush, but she wanted to see if he had the wit to piece it all together.

And it appeared that he had.

His pupils dilated slightly, and something dark flashed behind his scrutinizing gaze. She took that as an indication of interest.

His words, however, said otherwise.

"I'm not a mercenary, and I'm not a hitman," he responded. "Take your business proposal elsewhere."

"Not even with the promise of making history and accumulating all the wealth you could ever imagine?"

"Money doesn't interest me."

"Oh, but you're hurting for some income, are you not?"

"I live by higher standards than you, apparently."

He stood from his seat, leaving the unfinished plate of food on the table and fishing out a few pieces of copper from his pocket. He paid for the meal and left the dining room of the inn.

No, he couldn't be walking away from this that easily. He was too useful for her to just let him go like that.

There was an interest somewhere, she was sure of it. Now, what could she say bring him to her cause?

Arendelle. Something about Arendelle was the key. The uniform, being trained with a sword; a former soldier of some sort, perhaps? No, the clothes were too decorated for that. Even the cloak he wore was something a lot more exquisite-looking than any normal solider would be wearing. Having little experience for hard labor attested against that possibility.

Ah, must have worked in the castle at some point. Considering that he hadn't sold the clothes for something more conspicuous, he was loyal to the queen still if he saw sentimental value in them. Maybe even close to her at one point.

Bah, royals. So blind to see imminent demise as they turned a blind eye to the fact that one of their own could very well mean the end of civilization as they knew it. Still, she could probably use that misplaced loyalty to later have an open door to show him how the world was depending on people like her. People willing to do whatever it took to ensure their vision of the world would come to fruition.

The end always justified the means. Always.

She stood from her seat, pushed in her chair, and followed after the mysterious man.

He didn't stray too far outside of the inn.

"At least consider a bit of a trial run," she persuaded. "You don't actually have to do the dirty work if you can't stomach it. Just leave it all to the lady."

"I'm still not interested."

"Well, would you be if I mentioned we'll make a quick stop in the Duchy of Weselton before Arendelle? Need to make sure some things are running smoothly in the operations going on there. I've been hearing the ol' duke is in some need of my organization's…  _expertise._ "

His head snapped to face her.

Gotcha.

Ah, loyalty. Made people so predictable sometimes.

"Alright, if it would keep you from pestering me about it," he relented at last. "Might as well see the world while I'm wandering it aimlessly."

"Good. You're going to need a sword. While I'm sure whatever powers you've got can handle any issues we might come across on the way, I'm sure you're not one to be quite open to revealing them to others, are you?"

She beckoned for him to follow her, handing him a short sword she hid under her cloak. He took the weapon, turning it around to inspect it, even testing the weight of it with a few short swings.

That was when she got a good look at his hands. Strange how she didn't notice them earlier when he was at the table eating since they were wound tightly with tattered strips of cloth. They didn't look at all comfortable or even suitable for coverings.

She didn't think too much on it, since they didn't seem to hinder his ability to properly handle a sword.

"Come, I'll need to speak to an associate while I'm in town. Some loose ends I need to take care of, then we can set off."

She started off in the direction of the office she knew her informant was hunkered down in temporarily, but turned back when she didn't hear the man following her. She raised a questioning brow at him.

"I left something," he explained. He reached a hand out, and the next moment a scythe rested in his rag-covered hands.

She almost laughed at seeing it.

He killed those people with  _that_  thing? And witnesses said (as shady and unreliable as they were) that there were very few marks, if any, left on the bodies. If that didn't attest to his skill, well… It was a wonder no one had caught wind of him, other than herself of course, and recruited him sooner.

Then again, that was the whole point of leaving little mess at a crime scene, correct?

"What are you, someone wanting to emulate Death?" she couldn't help but snark.

He shrugged. "Something to that effect."

###

It was under the guise of night when the two of them made it to the boarding house. Her associates had…  _repurposed_  the old school into a place to keep all the soon-to-be-recruited (read: future scapegoats) and "civilians" they needed to keep an eye on sometimes, such as her informant.

" _Aĉ! Sufiĉe!"_ came an exclamation of displeasure from within the room. "Sit still! Do you want this to take longer or what?"

Great, it seemed her associate was busy with one of his projects. Oh well, looks like she'll just have a bigger mess to deal with later. Only a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

" _Bonajn noktojn_ ," she said with a sickeningly saccharine lilt as she entered along with her newly-acquired ally. "How goes my best informant?"

"Ah, no one ever uses that altered greeting except for 'Madam Huntswoman' herself," the informant said, not diverting his attention from the oil painting he was working on save for the occasional glances to the subject of the artwork: a man and woman, who scowled at the newcomers. " _Bonan nokton,_ Madam. Considering the time of night, I'm going to assume you need information from me. Again."

"That could be correct," she said, sauntering closer to where the artist sat as she drew a stiletto from her sleeve. Of course, her soon-to-be victim didn't notice, but the posing couple did.

"Oi! Sit still, I said!" the painter barked to the couple as they pulled out pistols from their hidden holsters to point at her and the dark sorcerer. "Madam, see what you've done? Now I'll never get this finished. You assassins ask way too much from me, having me work in circumstances that are nearly impossible to deal with." He finally faced her, and genuine hurt and shock contorted his features upon seeing the drawn blade in her hand.

He drew his own blade hidden a sheath he kept around his neck and tucked away out of sight in his shirt. A simple knife.

The man and the woman retrained their guns onto the painter, now that they realized the events that were going to take place and that she wasn't there to kill them.

Hah, like she was ever going to kill someone that could have her escape a death sentence.

His eyes grew wide when he saw the disguised man. A low growl of anger came from the latter, eyes betraying the sense of familiarity he was feeling.

These two knew each other? Oh, how interesting...

Still, it was good to see that her new pet knew when to heel.

"Y-you found him?" the painter stuttered, aghast.

"Of course I did!" she said, annoyed.

"Where's your team? Weren't some of them against this?"

"I killed them. They knew too much. Came to the same conclusion as I did. And what do you know? After I did a bit of snooping, I've come to realize that you knew where he'd gone this whole time. Without informing me."

"Lies. You found him, alright? No need to kill the messenger, especially since I was the one who alerted you of his presence."

" _This_  man isn't the one I was referring to," she said, pointing a thumb to the silent, cloaked figure beside her.

"Then who—"

"King Pieter Westergaard. I hear you happened upon him a few months back, no?"

The informant paled, his grip on the knife's handle shifted. He gulped.

"Look, I didn't even know he was in Arendelle!" her informant defended. "Besides, he seemed normal and everything. How could you have made any conclusions about him?"

"Because a royal has  _never_  been able to escape my clutches. Sure, they might seek refuge somewhere, but they always leave traces. They get emotional, and that's when they make mistakes and leave some kind of trail. But not him. Oh, no; not him. And he was able to get the rest of them out of there, too. Don't tell me you didn't notice this. You're too  _in_  with the royal circles not to know this."

"You're… You're mad! This is crazy! The King of the Southern Isles would  _never_ do anything as your cohorts claims he could do! If you'd ask me, Queen Elsa of Arendelle seems a more likely candidate than  _him._ "

"Oh, don't worry. I have plans to take her out as well. Have my leaders executed? While I should be thanking her for making it a mad grab for the unfilled positions, it shows that our work cannot end with just the Destroyer. Or else history is just going to repeat itself."

The brandished knife in his hands wavered. His eyes grew wide.

Oh yes, the look of someone knowing that they were going to die. Beautiful.

"But what about my family? What are you going to do to them?" He was growing frantic.

The fool. Pleas for mercy never worked on her. "Count Mikelo Ludoviko of Gavallande, As your caretaker, I hereby relieve you of your duties. Permanently. Your services are no longer needed by the Order of the Lynx."

She moved to attack. He responded likewise to defend.

But instead of having to parry a swipe of a knife, she felt the tip of a blade on her back. The informant dropped his weapon in fear.

"It must be my lucky day. An Order member," laughed the disguised man as she turned to face him.

He dared to hold her own weapon against her? That would be the last mistake he would ever do.

She swiped away the sword with her forearm (for she wore chainmail underneath her sleeves, just for this kind of occasion) and stabbed him in the gut with her stiletto, ensuring that he would not survive the wound before retracting the blade.

He looked down at the damage she caused.

Then he looked to her.

Fury peeked over the scarf on his face as she smiled triumphantly at him.

But instead of attacking again, he sighed and placed the sword at her feet. He unwrapped the cloth around one of his hands. Slowly. Painstakingly slow. He stared at his uncovered flesh with apprehension.

The tips of them were covered in ice.

_Ice!?_

But it looked like they were thawing slightly right before her own eyes.

"It seems that I've found a new means for survival," the man said.

And he closed the hand around her throat.

He didn't grip very hard, no. He was… strangely gentle about it, like he was allowing her to just throw off his grip if she wanted to. Like he was reluctant to be even doing this.

But his hand… it was so  _cold._ Freezing. And… and there was a fire that burned in every sinew and fiber of her being. As it progressed, his hand grew tighter and tenser as if he was finally resigning himself to whatever he was doing to her.

Two cracks of guns firing behind her. The man grunted as their bullets hit their mark.

He directed his attention to the couple behind her.

"I'll deal with you two next," he threatened.

She couldn't help but stare daggers at him, hating him with every essence she possessed. That was when she noticed the stray locks of hair that fell onto his forehead. White. Wait, wait… no… were they turning darker.

"It's nothing personal, really," he said to her. "You've chosen your path, I'm just here to ease you into its consequences. And I swear, starting with your dying breath, that I will protect everyone that I love and care about from monsters like you. I will infiltrate the pits of filth that you originate from, and I will destroy it from the inside out. And even then, I know I won't be able to atone for the wrongs I've done, but I can rest assured with the knowledge that I've stopped you and your people from doing any more."

"W-what are you?" the she gasped weakly. She couldn't move. She could barely even breathe.

"I'm exactly what you said I looked like. I'm Death." The hooded figure swung the scythe from behind him to brandish the shadowy aura coating its blade. "Personified."

He swung.

And she was no more.


End file.
